DOVER— Kent County Levy Court approved an amendment to increase the Delaware Community Transportation Fund for the U.S. 13 Beautification Project from $150,000 to $180,000 at its meeting on Tuesday.

The project is an effort to make U.S. 13 and Kent County more visually appealing.

In August 2014, Levy Court entered a formal agreement with the Delaware Department of Transportation pertaining to the project with the Greater Kent Committee.

Since that time, the Greater Kent Committee has selected the firm of Landscape Architectural Services Inc. to develop landscape design plans, specifications and construction bid documents.

Phase I of the project will involve landscape improvements to the intersection of U.S. 13 and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Dover and to the Simon’s Corner intersection in South Smyrna.

A total of $150,000 was allocated for this project from various Kent County legislators.

Phase I work was released for bid in July and bids were received in August.

Only two bids were received and both exceeded the project budget.

The U.S. 13 Beautification Project Committee decided to seek additional CTF funding in order to proceed with the low bidder this fall.

The county administrator recently received from DelDOT an amendment to effectively increase the Project CTF Allocation from $150,000 to $180,000.

Levy Court is the public sponsor of the project spearheaded by the Greater Kent Committee in collaboration with Kent County Tourism and the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce.

As the sponsor, Levy Court was required to approve the contract for the project and did so with a vote of 7-0 at Tuesday night’s committee meeting.