COEUR d'ALENE - Roadwork ahead.

The Education Corridor infrastructure project - having spent years on the city's to-do list - could break ground in about a week.

Lake City Development Corp. was awarded a $3.6 million contract Tuesday to begin work on phase 1A, which will put in about one mile of reconstructed roadway, three roundabouts and a traffic signal at the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and Hubbard Road.

The winning bid, submitted by Hayden-based MDM Construction Inc., was $1.5 million below original estimations.

"We knew the bidding environment was going to be extremely competitive," said Dale Baune, civil engineer and area manager with JUB Engineers. "If they were above our estimates we would have been way surprised."

The contract was selected from four bidders on Tuesday. LCDC is the leader on the project, and inked several contracts through the year for around $1 million with JUB Engineers. Those deals provided the traffic study and conceptual design, topography study, final construction design and the job to administer and oversee it as it's built out near North Idaho College.

The project could get going in a week, and last until mid-October. It would start with the Hubbard Road and Northwest Boulevard intersection. During the work, traffic could be reduced to one lane.

A reconstructed River Avenue should coincide with that part, including roundabouts near the connection to Dike Road and near the Fort Ground Grill. Those should be done by Aug. 19, in time for the new school year.

A pair of roads, meeting in the third roundabout, will connect River Road and the signalized Northwest Boulevard intersection, wrapping up in October.

Al Hassell, Coeur d'Alene City Councilman who sits on the urban renewal board, said improving the education corridor has been a goal of the city since 1995.

"I want to say thank you for something that's been a long time coming," said Mic Armon, NIC Board of Trustees chair, on the agency taking advantage of the competitive bid market to begin the priority project. "I can't think of a better use of LCDC money."

A pre-construction meeting could be scheduled later this week. Phase 1B, tentatively planned for next year, would punch out River Avenue and connect it to Northwest Boulevard.