One of Gardendale’s busiest roads will receive a facelift starting this week, according to Mayor Othell Phillips.

Last summer, the city received two grants to have Fieldstown Road repaved and re-striped, from Decatur Highway to Jew Hollow Road.

Part of the project, the five-lane portion of Fieldstown, will be paid for with a GARVEE bond — a state-issued bond repaid later by federal funds The rest, the two-lane section, will be funded with Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP) funds.

Phillips said Monday during a city council meeting that crews will start the project on the five-lane portion toward the end of this week, weather permitting.

Gardendale Public Works Superintendent Jeff Holliyan said the first phase includes the section of road from U.S. Hwy. 31 to Thompson Street below Cracker Barrel.

“Once they do start, if the weather cooperates, it will be a two-and-a-half to three-week job,” Holliyan said.

He suggests that drivers use an alternate route during the paving.

“The less traffic interference, the quicker it gets done,” he said.

He also wants business owners to know that paving crews will be respectful of their stores, and will be as unobtrusive as possible of their entrances and parking lots.

The total cost of the project is almost $2 million. Both grants are 80/20 grants, with the city paying for 20 percent of the cost.

Phillips said the city applied for the grants after the Jefferson County Commission adopted a resolution in June 2009 that stated the county would no longer maintain county roads that were located within other municipalities’ city limits. The county cut the services due to its ongoing financial crisis.