The Mower County portion of the Fourth Drive Southwest is moving ahead.

On Tuesday, the county board joined the Austin City Council, which voted last week, in unanimously approving its portion of the joint $1.7 million bid from Ulland Bros. Inc. to reconstruct portions of Fourth Drive Southwest with a 34-foot road, an 8-foot trail on the west side and a parking lane on one side.

Work should begin in two phases this fall on city segments of the road, while a county portion of the road is slated for work early next summer.

The project, which came in below the estimated price of $1.96 million, will include utility, sewer, storm sewer and electric improvements before the road is rebuilt with a curb and gutter.

The county’s portion will be about $771,000, which was below the 2016 budget of $800,000, according to Public Works Director Mike Hanson.

The city received a roughly $1 million grant for the work, while a remainder twill be funded with assessments, sanitary sewer funds and County State Aid funding.

The project that garnered much discussion earlier this year when residents voiced concerns about the widened roadway affecting their yards, trees, winter maintenance on the trail and flooding.