Surveying begins on $2.4M project that will resurface 60 blocks in downtown Selma

The first visible step in a $2.4 million street resurfacing project in downtown Selma has begun.   

Surveying started last week along 60 blocks in downtown Selma and in the area known as Disaster Area 1 since a tornado tore through the city in January 2023. Disaster Area 1 runs east of Broad Street to Marie Foster Street and north of J.L. Chestnut Boulevard to 1st Avenue.    

The project, funded through the Delta Regional Authority’s Community Infrastructure Fund Grant Program, will resurface seven downtown streets and about that many in Disaster Area 1, City Planning Director Danielle Wooten said at the ribbon cutting in February. The project will involve milling, paving and repairing storm water inlets in the 60 blocks.   

“Some of these streets have layers (of pavement) on top of layers,” which has created drainage problems, Wooten said last February. This project will remove layers so the streets will be restored, she said.   

The city of Selma said in a post on social media last week that Phase 1 of this critical infrastructure improvement project “aims to enhance the safety and accessibility of our streets while supporting the continued recovery and revitalization efforts in our community."   

Dr. Corey Wiggins, federal co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority, said in February that the grant is “a great example of how governments work together to meet the needs of the community.” DRA was the lead federal partner in helping Selma and Dallas County obtain the grant.