COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Council Bluffs officials hope a $36 million redevelopment of a key thoroughfare will spark economic development and brighten a busy area. The Omaha World-Herald reports work will start this month on a five-year overhaul of West Broadway, which connects Council Bluffs and Omaha, Nebraska.

The work will include colored pavers, new street lights and decorative pillars. Crews also will install new sewers, which should lessen cracking caused by pooling water that freezes and thaws. The three blocks closest to Omaha should be completed by this fall, providing a sense of what’s to follow.

Officials say the work follows city moves to buy and demolish a number of dilapidated buildings along Broadway, leaving grassy plots the city hopes to sell. The project is funded with public and private sources.