HARTSELLE — One of Hartselle’s busiest roadways should have a smoother driving surface by year’s end.

A unanimous City Council approved contracts that will allow the Alabama Department of Transportation to engineer and construct the Sparkman Street resurfacing project.

“It’s always good when we can pave streets,” Council President Kenny Thompson said at Tuesday’s meeting.

The contracts will allow the state to resurface Sparkman Street from the north end at U.S. 31 to Hayes Street and then to the south end at U.S. 31.

Using federal funds

The council is using federal stimulus money to fund the project.

Hartselle has about 15 streets that were eligible under federal guidelines.

The council selected Sparkman because it will use almost all the funds.

Sparkman will require milling because the payment is almost above the curb and gutter.

The road covers about 2.3 miles and could cost between $254,000 and $283,000, depending on what striping the state requires.

Jeff Johnson of the Department of Development said it could cost between $475 and $2,600 per stripe, per mile for striping.

Required to pay overage

There’s also a clause in the construction contract that requires Hartselle to pay any overage. The overage may be as much as $40,000, Johnson said.

The state is using $31,516 of the federal money to engineer the project.

The $263,551 Hartselle received in federal stimulus money came in March and almost one week after DOT announced it would spend $1.06 million to widen Alabama 36 from U.S. 31 to Interstate 65.

The state is awaiting bids for the Alabama 36 work.