Decades in the making, Delaware County and city officials will finally break ground on the Sawmill Parkway extension project on July 23.

Delaware County commissioners on Monday approved the final piece of the puzzle, a $30.4 million contract with Delaware-based Trucco Construction Co. to perform the work to extend the roadway from its current terminus at Hyatts Road to 1,600 feet north of U.S. 42.

Trucco Construction was one of four bidders for the project. The company’s bid was 20 percent less than the county’s estimate for the project.

“Needless to say, that’s excellent news,” said Delaware County Engineer Chris Bauserman.

The roadway will provide another north-south thoroughfare in the county, and open up about 1,600 acres for development at the city’s expanded industrial park.

“By moving this project forward, we’ll see more jobs created for the county and the city,” said Sean Hughes, the city’s economic development director.

One existing company at the industrial park is already in the process of expanding its operations due to the roadway extension, according to Hughes.

“Bringing a wider range of higher paying jobs is great for the city and our county,” said Commissioner Barb Lewis. “After more than 30 years of hard work by so many, we are pleased to see this project move forward. This collaborative effort is a great milestone and will open up other business opportunities for the county and the city of Delaware.”

Through an agreement inked last year, the city of Delaware will pay for the portion of the construction within its boundaries through the creation of Tax Increment Financing zone at its industrial park. A Tax Increment Financing district – or TIF district – is a public-financing mechanism that diverts property tax revenue from value added to developed land into a fund dedicated to infrastructure improvements in the designated area.

The four-lane roadway will include roundabouts at the intersections of Bunty Station Road, Bean Oller Road, Clark-Shaw Road and Ford Road. A signalized intersection with turn lanes will be constructed at U.S. 42.

The project is slated to be completed by Oct. 31, 2016.

The project has been in the works for more than two decades. It was part of a Southern Delaware County Thoroughfare Plan in 1989 when Bauserman began working for the county.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the roadway’s current terminus at Hyatts Road at 1:30 p.m.

“I will be glad to see the earth move that day,” said Tim Hansley, the county’s administrator, who noted he began working on the project his first day on the job.