A Florence contractor was the only bidder on the project to relocate the city’s utility lines in preparation to expand South Frontage Road.

Hemphill Construction Friday submitted the lone bid of $1.576 million at a meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The board took the bid under advisement. Hemphill’s bid was about $57,412 more than the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s estimate of $1.519 million.

The state, city accounting director Doug Whittington said, will share the cost of relocating the lines with the city. Preliminary estimates indicate the city’s share of relocating the water lines will be $521,408, and its share for the gas lines will be $91,911. MDOT is expected to pay for the sewer line relocation.

Relocating the utility lines is the final move before the state can begin the $20 million extension to link the east and west sides of South Frontage Road with an overpass crossing the Kansas City Southern Railroad tracks.

The extension will provide a direct access to the Outlets at Vicksburg and the restaurants and businesses on East Clay Street and U.S. 80.

City officials believe the extension will help open the east side of South Frontage to more development.

In another matter, the board received five bids for the renovation and expansion of the clubhouse at the Halls Ferry tennis courts.

Commercial Construction & Maintenance of Jackson was the apparent low bidder on the project with a base bid of $723,778, about $23,778 more than the estimated $700,000 for the project.

Other contractors bidding included Clifton Rankin Construction of Fayette, $725,000; Hopkins Construction & Maintenance LLC of Madison, $799,482.32; Fordice Construction of Vicksburg, $920,000; and Kenneth Thompson Builders of Greenwood, $842,000.

The project involves remodeling and enlarging the clubhouse at the tennis courts and installing handicap accessible facilities. City officials believe the improvements will help attract more statewide and regional tennis tournaments to the city.