A deal to bring a Ruby Tuesday restaurant to the Tracetown Shopping Center could be finalized this week, said City Engineer David Gardner.

Gardner said he has been in contact with the national restaurant chain, the shopping center owners and the Mississippi Department of Transportation for more than a year and expects negotiations to close soon.

The city’s involvement in the deal springs from a commitment from MDOT to rebuild the intersection of John R. Junkin and Seargent S. Prentiss Drive if an &uot;anchor&uot; business were to locate in the shopping center.

Gardner said the city has been acting as a &uot;kind of liaison&uot; between the parties involved.

Plans for the restaurant place it on the site of the old McDonald’s. The Natchez Metro Planning Commission approved site plans for the restaurant in January.