The city of Spokane plans to spend a combined $776,000 on two road-construction projects that are scheduled to start in October and to be completed in five to six weeks.

Projects will include improving and extending a street on Spokane's South Hill, as well making pedestrian-safety improvements at four Division Street intersections and adding a sidewalk along the south side of a park located on Nevada.

The Division and Nevada jobs were bid together.

Spokane Valley-based contractor L&L Cargile Inc. has been awarded a $621,000 contract to extend 44th Avenue from Regal to Freya, on the South Hill. The project is expected to take roughly six weeks.

Ann Deasy, spokeswoman for the city, says the project entails constructing a new, meandering 25-foot-wide street that's designed to keep traffic speeds low.

Deasy says the project will add sidewalk and curb along the south side of the street, and engineering plans on file with the city say it also calls for the construction of a retaining wall and installation of storm sewer and drainage pipe along the new street.

The contractor's bid came in below the engineer's estimate of $753,000.

Deasy says the project is being funded through the city's arterial street fund.

On the Nevada and North Division projects, Cameron-Reilly LLC, of Spokane, is the apparent low bidder, with a bid of about $155,000.

The project on North Division will involve installing pedestrian islands at four intersections, preventing left-hand turns by motorists, Deasy says.

The Division intersections that will be affected are Division at Glass and at Walton avenues, both of which are south of NorthTown Mall, and Division at Everett and at Weile avenues, north of the mall.

She says the changes are expected to improve pedestrian safety, as pedestrians will only have to watch for traffic coming from one direction, a move she says will decrease the chance of motorist-pedestrian accidents.

Turning lanes and inside travel lanes on Division will be closed to traffic during construction, Deasy says.

The project near Nevada Street will involve installing a sidewalk along the south side of Nevada Playfield, from Nevada to Cincinnati Street. Deasy says there are plans to relocate a crosswalk at the intersection of Nevada and Joseph Avenue to the north end of the street, connecting it with the new stretch of sidewalk.

Deasy says the North Division and Nevada projects are being funded through the state's 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program.