COVINGTON, Ga. - The Covington City Council unanimously agreed to match a state grant to get the ball rolling on the Pace Street Corridor project that has been on the books for more than eight years.

The city received a $1.9 million grant from the state, with the requirement that it be a 70/30 split. The total cost of the project is $2,674,242.60, making the city’s contribution $774,242.60.

“We’re estimating that this is cost, we don’t know that this is the actual cost,” she said, adding that $1.9 million is the state’s cap to spend on this project.

The corridor project is a 0.4-mile streetscape plan, which includes sidewalks on both sides, bike lanes and two pedestrian islands.

City Manager Leigh Anne Knight said the city’s portion of the project would most likely come out of the 2017 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds allotted for transportation or any overages from the 2011 SPLOST.

“I do think that it is a relatively important piece of the puzzle, especially when the corridor can be an entrance coming into the square and connects 278 and some of our other corridors,” Mayor Ronnie Johnston said.

Johnston said this project could make Pace Street into a gateway into the town.