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By MICHELLE LOVE | Staff Writer

HELENA – The Helena City Council approved a resolution to enter in an agreement with Alabama Department of Transportation to widen Hwy 261.

The resolution cements the plans to widen Hwy 261 for better flow of traffic in place.

The city of Pelham entered into an agreement for the widening project with the cities of Hoover, Helena and the Shelby County Commission back in January.

“This effort has been a long time coming and while it won’t cure all our traffic woes in Helena, but it will help set the stage for future expansion of our infrastructure,” said Council member Chris VanCleave.

The total price tag for the project is $40 million. ALDOT will fund half, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, which manages all local transportation projects, will contribute $10.8 million and the Regional Planning Commission will contribute $6.5 million. That leaves all involved cities and Shelby County each with a local match of $675,000.