More than a half-million dollars will soon be coming Buckley’s way, money that will fund the majority of planned improvements to a busy stretch of River Avenue.

Members of the City Council voted unanimously Jan. 10 to accept $552,393 from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board. The money comes in the form of a grant, not a loan. The city will contribute about $189,000 toward the total anticipated project cost of $741,000.

Plans call for a total reconstruction of River Avenue from Jefferson Street to the junction at state Route 165. That entails grinding away the existing pavement and adding of a new crushed-rock bed, topped with fresh, new pavement. Included in the TIB grant is money to construct new curbing and gutters, along with a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on both sides of River Avenue.

With the city’s financial contribution, the project also will include another 250 feet of sidewalk stretching to the city’s skate park. Additionally, the city intends to add a single lane for diagonal parking and LED street lighting.

The project will be designed this year and construction is expected in 2018, according to City Administrator Dave Schmidt.

Also during their regularly-scheduled meeting of Jan. 10, members of the City Council gave their formal blessing to Phase 2 of the Perkins Prairie housing subdivision.

Preliminary plans for the entire Perkins Prairie undertaking – which calls for 177 homes along the north side of Ryan Road – have already been granted. Phase 1 is now underway and, with the council’s approval, work on another 58 homes has been authorized.