SIXTEEN MONTHS after engineers first presented a timeline to the city of Jackson outlining the plan, work on the Fortification Street Improvement Project has gotten more than a year behind schedule.

Work on the $12 million project designed to calm traffic and create a walkable atmosphere between Belhaven and Belhaven Heights was supposed to get under way earlier this year. Now, officials say construction likely won’t begin until next summer.

“We anticipated starting earlier and are still pushing for summer 2010,” said Mark Bailey, senior engineer manager with Neel-Schaffer Engineering, one of the two firms hired by the city to take on the much-anticipated project.

Officials with Neel-Schaffer and CivilTech, the firm heading up the undertaking, are waiting for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to make the next move.

“We are waiting for comments from the department of transportation on the preliminary plans,” Bailey said. “After we address those comments, they can authorize us to begin obtaining easements.”

Engineers submitted plans to the state agency in May after a field review. Forty-six properties have been identified for easements within the 1.25 mile span of the project.

Plans call for transforming Fortification from a four-lane rollercoaster of a road into a two-lane boulevard with a turn lane from Jefferson Street to Greymont Avenue

Additionally, it calls for grading the street, repaving it and reducing the height of a hill near Madison Street to improve visibility for motorists. New lighting will also be added and signals will be updated at five intersections, including Jefferson, Lamar Street, West Street, Short Farish Street, and Greymont. Sidewalks will be updated and widened to meet standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), officials say.

BAILEY BELIEVES work on the project has been slowed on the state’s side as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), commonly referred to as the federal stimulus package.

“They (MDOT) had the field review in May and we submitted plans in May,” he said. “They’ve taken awhile, but they’re dealing with stimulus projects that take priority.” He doesn’t know when the state agency will return plans with their comments.

MDOT District Five Engineer David Foster said stimulus projects have entered into the equation in regard to turnaround time.

“There’s quite a bit out there that all districts have to deal with,” he said. “That’s in addition to our main work load.” District Five deals with transportation needs for 10 counties:Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Scott, Leake, Newton, Neshoba, Noxubee, Kemper and Lauderdale.

“No projects have been put on hold. We wanted to get the stimulus projects out there so we don’t lose any money,” he said. “But we don’t want the others to fall by the wayside.”

He didn’t know when the Fortification plans would be returned to local engineers.

The most recent delay is one of several that have slowed the project that will better tie three historic downtown neighborhoods together. At a Jackson City Council work session last year, Elmore Moody, an engineer with CivilTech, said the project was delayed once because of the identification of possible historic structures along the road during the federal Section 106 review process.

The Section 106 review is part of the National Historic Preservation Act that involves cultural resources and their preservation or the minimization of damaging effects on them. While the state approved the original assessment, the federal government called for further evaluation, citing the historic significance of the area. Fortification is bordered by Belhaven and Belhaven Heights, and connects to Farish Street, three designated historic districts in downtown Jackson.

THE PROJECT is being paid for with $3.4 million from the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, $3 million from city coffers and another $4 million from the Mississippi Development Authority.

Bailey doesn’t know how long it will take to obtain easements. To complete that process, the city will have to bring on an appraiser to establish the fair market value of the land being taken. From there, an independent appraiser will be brought in to review the appraisals. Those appraisals will be presented to the city, and then appraisers will enter into negotiations with property owners and make offers. The council then approves the agreements.

Unlike obtaining right-of-way, the city will only take the easements temporarily for construction use. Once the work is complete, the property will be repaired and returned to the owner.