The City of Spokane has awarded electrical contractor Colvico Inc. a $1.6 million project to install electronic message boards along Division Street and intelligent transportation systems along Maple Street and Third Avenue.

The message boards are similar to those found along Interstate 90 that are used to inform motorists of congestion, construction, or delays, says Ann Deasy, spokeswoman for the city.

Deasy says it will take four months after the signs are ordered before they can be installed, meaning installation of the signs on Division, Maple, and Third won't take place until next year. Once installation begins, she says, the project is expected to take between four and five months to complete.

The city has outlined four locations on Division where the dynamic message boards will be installed: south of Cleveland Avenue; near Gordon Avenue; between Joseph and Columbia avenues; and north of Cozza Drive.

The intelligent transportation systems include the dynamic message boards like those slated to be installed along Division, but they also include other components, such as Ethernet cables, data transmission units, and cameras.

The plans call for three intelligent transportation systems to be installed along Maple: one north of the Maple Street Bridge; one north of Mallon Avenue where Ash and Maple merge; and one on the north side where Maple and Country Homes Boulevard merge.

Two locations have been selected on Third, with one between Cedar and Adams streets and the other between Bernard and McClellan streets downtown.

Funding for the project is being provided by the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program, a U.S. Federal Highway Administration program.