The Fort Dodge City Council on Monday started a water main project and began preparing for upgrades on a long stretch of busy North 15th Street.

The water main project would improve connections to the water tower on South 32nd Street, south of Fifth Avenue South.

Rasch Construction, of Fort Dodge, was hired to do the work at a cost of $763,930.

Other bidders for the job were On Track Construction, Nevada, $833,845; JQ Construction LLC, Waterloo, $853,254.50; Max Smith Construction, Creston, $919,061; King Contracting, Kiron, $920,001; and Keller Excavating, Boone, $928,827.

The council also hired Snyder & Associates, of Ankeny, to design the North 15th Street project at a cost of $406,500.

The work will include rebuilding the intersection of 15th Street and Second Avenue North, installing new traffic lights at 15th Street’s intersections with Sixth and Seventh avenues north and doing various pavement improvements all the way to the northern city limits.

The construction will be done next year.