MT. VERNON — The Mt. Vernon City Council approved the lowest bid for design work for a new connector road between Davidson Ave. and Potomac Blvd. at Monday’s meeting.

The lowest bid, submitted by Rhutasel and Associates of Salem, will cost $48,000 for the engineering work for the new road on Mt. Vernon’s west side.

City manager Mary Ellen Bechtel says it’s a part of the city’s objective to ease congestion in the high-traffic area.

Bechtel hopes the design work will be completed by the spring.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the city council approved new doors for the Municipal West Building at a cost of $12,200. The council will next meet on Monday, October 7th at 7 p.m. at the Rolland W. Lewis Building at Veterans Park.