The much-anticipated Cumberland Avenue Project met official approval Tuesday night as the Knoxville City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution authorizing its budget.

With Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero promising a “long and complicated project” ahead, the resolution authorized the mayor to enter into a nearly $16 million agreement with Southern Constructors Inc. to begin the restructuring of Cumberland Avenue.

The Knoxville Utilities Board will officially begin utilities work around Cumberland beginning Monday, April 6 that will last about two months.

Councilman Nick Della Volpe voiced his concerns towards the project before the resolution was passed, noting that the planned improvements may cause unwanted traffic for the area.

“I just worry that we’re putting 10 pounds of traffic in a five-pound lane,” Della Volpe said of the project. “I have to trust in the professionals, but I must say it’s kind of a puckering moment.”

Anne Wallace, project manager for the Cumberland Avenue Project, however, spoke on behalf of the upcoming project.

Citing more than 30 years of economic decline for businesses around Cumberland Avenue, Wallace said she views the planned enhancement for the corridor, which includes the allowance of right turns onto Alcoa Highway and the improvement of traffic signals, as being integral to the overall success of the area.

“There have been literally hundreds of hours put into this project,” Wallace said. “While we are in a challenging situation balancing a lot of competing interests … we have come to what we feel like is a very reasonable and appropriate solution for a corridor that is currently not working well.”

The street-scape phase of the Cumberland Avenue Project will begin on June 1 and will last until the end of the year. Wallace said she expects the completion date for the project to come in August of 2017.

More information on the project can be found at cumberlandconnect.com.