Local construction giant George Reed Inc. was given the green light to work on two new roundabouts in Ceres at a cost of $1.6 million.

The city has engineered new roundabouts for:

• Central Avenue between Industrial Way and Pine Street.

• Morgan Road and Aristocrat Drive.

The projects were first discussed at a May City Council meeting when permission was sought to allocate SB1 monies. The city expects to receive $793,000 from SB 1 towards the contract.

Because of the unusual configuration of the Central/Pine/Industrial intersection, Wells likened the roundabout design as being egg-shaped. He said the goal is to make traffic flow better to prevent backups, especially around the time school lets out at nearby Don Pedro Elementary and Central Valley High School.

The city is using federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds.

Construction will begin Sept. 4 and last until about Nov. 15. Vice Mayor Mike Kline said he wants the city to offer adequate signage to minimize impacts to traffic, especially to the schools along the routes.