A few major paving projects will be getting underway in Aberdeen by the end of the month. The Aberdeen City Council approved a contract at last week’s meeting to pay a company $1,196,000 for its Transportation Improvement Fund (TIF) projects for 2019.

The list of projects include repaving and constructing new sidewalks on Cushing Street between Clark and Lawrence streets; improvements to the curb and sidewalk of Arthur Street between B and Grant streets; repaving Market Street between Division and Park streets; Cherry Street between Myrtle and Oak streets; and Graves Avenue between Purkey and Lee Avenue.

Aberdeen Public Works Director Rick Sangder said about $500,000 of the money is from state grants, and added that the approximately $800,000 for the rest comes from the new higher Transportation Improvement Fund sales tax, which rose from 13 cents to 18 cents for every $100 of taxable goods.

Mayor Erik Larson added that the city received more in state funding because of the higher Transportation Improvement Fund tax that allowed them to leverage more by offering more match funding from the city. That tax increase was approved by the council and then a special election in February sent to Aberdeen voters.

Sangder said the work by Nova Contracting should begin by the end of the month, and that all projects would occur in 2019.