NORTHSIDERS COULD SOON have a say in the future of the Fortification Street improvement project.

The project is part of a larger plan designed to transform the Fortification and State Street area in Belhaven into a commercial corridor. City officials say that, once completed, the street will be safer for motorists and more pedestrian-friendly for residents and visitors to the area’s many shops.

Jackson city officials say a public hearing to discuss the roadway could be set as early as March. But first, the federal agency funding the project must give the city the greenlight to begin.

For the past year, the project has been stuck in a bureaucratic traffic jam. Thelman Boyd, the city’s director of public works, said Jackson submitted an environmental impact study to the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) early last year.

The environmental assessment, which takes into account the impact the project could have on the historical, cultural and archeological aspects of the area, began in 2004.

While the state approved the assessment, federal officials called for further evaluation, citing the historic significance of the area. Boyd is hopeful that the assessment could be completed in the next 18 to 20 days. “We’ll take that information and resubmit it to MDOT and the FHA,” he said. “When they give us the go-ahead, we can set a public hearing. We hope for a quick turnaround.”

THE PROJECT IS BEING funded by the city and the federal government. David Willis, the city’s deputy director of public works, said the city will pay 20 percent, while the federal government will fund the additional 80 percent. The FHA will also reimburse Jackson for further environmental costs.

Willis said there are four designs for the project, but one has become a favorite among residents. The most popular version of the project calls for converting the four-lane thoroughfare into a two-lane boulevard with a landscaped median and a turn lane.

Sidewalks would be widened to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act and new lighting would be added. The project would help create a main street feel in the area. In addition, hills would be leveled off and the roadway would be made safer for motorists.

It will also tie together some of the city’s historic districts, including Belhaven and Belhaven Heights. The project, once completed, will stretch from I-55 to west of North State Street.

Virgi Lindsay, the executive director of the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation, pointed to several other improvement projects going on within the corridor.

Among the projects, she said, Kat’s Wine Cellar has moved to a new facility, McDade’s grocery store has committed to a more than $300,000 interior renovation of its store in the English Village shopping center. Nathan Glenn, the owner of Basil’s restaurant, rehabbed a former drug store located there and a Chevron gas station at the corner of Fortification and Jefferson streets is also being renovated.

Baptist Health Systems is also in the mix. The hospital is working to complete a long-range facilities management plan and more than $70 million in expansions to its main campus.

The Belhaven Foundation has also been working with Baptist to transform some of its property east of the hospital’s North State Street campus into a mixed-use development that will be bordered by Fortification, Poplar, North State and Jefferson streets.

Although it’s still in the preliminary stages, the roughly nine-acre development could include office and retail space, a small 90 to 100-room hotel and residential units.

Lindsay said the Fortification improvement project would fit nicely with the ongoing projects, and like many other Northsiders, is anxious to see the project get on track. “We’re seeing very exciting potential developments,” she said. “Many believe the street will enhance those.”

ONE LOCAL BUSINESSMAN would also like to see the project come to fruition, but is confident that city leaders will drive the project forward in due time.

Tasho Katsaboulas, manager of the family-owned Kat’s Wine Cellar on Fortification Street, said the city has to take its time to make sure the project is done right. “I’m not dissatisfied with the project timeline,” he said. “I feel it will happen in a reasonable amount of time.”

Kat’s Wine Cellar relocated to its new, larger facility at Fortification and Jefferson last summer. The building, which gave the shop three times the amount of space it had near Fenian’s Pub and Restaurant, was designed with the Belhaven area’s town center in mind.

“Belhaven embraced the principals of the Mississippi Mainstreet Association (MMA), which encourages urban town centers that marry residential and commercial to create a symbiotic relationship.”

The foundation has worked with the Mainstreet Association since 2003. The organization helps cities redevelop urban areas to make them more pedestrian-friendly.

MMA director Bob Wilson said the association brings in expert consultants to help civic organizations like the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation reach its goals.

He said creating the main street feeling improves the quality of life and brings in businesses and revenue that otherwise might not come to an area. Wilson recently said improving Fortification Street is key to improving the Belhaven corridor.

Katsaboulas agreed. But he’s awaiting the project patiently. “We have to have faith that it’s coming. Once it’s finished, I think the feel here will be unbelievable.”