The Athens City Council has approved a major street improvement project that will resurface nine city streets, covering a total of 3.94 miles, as part of the FY 2025–26 budget.

Streets Scheduled for Work

The project includes both resurfacing and full-depth reclamation on the following roads:

• Mt. Verd Rd. – Clearwater Rd. to city limits (0.34 miles)
• Sharp Rd. – Velma Rd. to Railroad Ave. (0.21 miles)
• Tellico Ave. – Congress to Astrid St. (0.83 miles)
• Dennis St. – Congress to Decatur Pike (0.62 miles, full-depth reclamation)
• Woodward Ave. – N. Jackson St. to Ingleside Ave. (1.07 miles)
• Forrest Ave. – Ingleside Ave. to Madison Ave. (0.29 miles, full-depth reclamation)
• Guille St. – Ingleside Ave. to Eastanallee Ave. (0.12 miles)
• Glendale Ave. – Park St. to Cedar Springs Rd. (0.29 miles)
• Cedar Springs Rd. – Glendale Ave. to Elizabeth St. (0.17 miles)

Bid Award and Funding Details

After opening bids on July 23, 2025, the city awarded the contract to Rogers Group, Inc. of Knoxville, the lowest and most responsive bidder, with a total bid of $1,683,300 — coming in $178,700 under the construction budget.

The project is being funded through the Capital Improvement Fund, with:

• $999,446 (59.4%) from the Surface Transportation Block Grant–Local program
• $683,854 (40.6%) from City funds for construction

In addition to paving, the city will also cover construction testing and inspection services at a cost of $204,802. This will be funded 52.9% by grant funds ($999,446) and 47.1% by city funds ($888,656).

Altogether, the total project cost is $1,888,102, which is still $178,898 below the total budget amount of $2,067,000.

Next Steps and Timeline

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has reviewed and approved the city’s documentation. Work is expected to begin soon, with completion anticipated by November 2025.