VIDALIA, La. -Crews from Diamond B Construction will start overlaying Vidalia’s streets next week, starting with Lee Avenue and nearby streets.

&uot;The street has fallen some, and it’s caused by driveway to fall, too,&uot;&160;said Faye LaSyone of nearby Miranda Drive. &uot;I’m glad to see them doing something to fix it.&uot;

The $880,000 project, which the Vidalia contractor is being given about 200 days to finish, will include the repaving of dozens of streets throughout the town.

&uot;These improvements will be comprehensive,&uot; said Mayor Hyram Copeland. &uot;We’re excited about getting it started.&uot;

The street project, along with drainage improvements throughout Vidalia and updates to the town’s water plant, are being funded by the issuance of bonds.

An estimated $3.4 million in bonds for those purposes should be issued at the Vidalia Board of Aldermen’s Tuesday meeting.

Those bonds will be paid back with $450,000 a year from a 1-cent sales tax passed in August and $150,000 a year from the town’s own funds.

Updates to the 30-year-old water plant will include installing new filters to more take iron, magnesium and lime out of the water, making it softer.

Camo Construction of Vidalia bid $702,116 for the project, which Copeland said should get started soon.

In December, aldermen should advertise for bids for installing new culverts in ditches throughout the town.

Those bids should be accepted in January, Copeland said.