Kinston Mayor Don Hardy and Charles Hughes Construction owner Charles Hughes cut the ribbon for the Queen Street Kickoff Ceremony at the Kinston African-American Music Trail on Tuesday. Photo by Junious Smith III / Nesue News

The Streetscaping project is officially under way.

Tuesday marked the ribbon-cutting and groundbreaking ceremony for the Queen Street Project. The items included in the endeavor are tree uplighting, repainting existing metal traffic signal poles, providing site furnishings — such as benches, trash cans and bike racks — installing a concrete pavement overlay, re-lamping existing light fixtures and providing wheel stops.

The goal for the city is to have the construction done by July, with paving to occur by the N.C. Department of Transportation soon after.

“It’s the beginning of new opportunity for the city of Kinston and what’s to come,” Kinston Mayor Don Hardy said. “We want to attract new businesses and bring others to our community, bringing something appealing to the eye. This is the purpose behind the Queen Street project and this is just the first step.”

The project was the culmination of four years of planning, which Kinston City Councilman Joe Tyson said will bring great benefits.

“It means the city is having the opportunity to not only improve the infrastructure and paving of Queen Street, but adds on to the majestic appearance of the Magic Mile,” Tyson said. “This project had an abundance of community involvement and I can’t wait to get into the construction phase.”

Charles Hughes Construction was awarded the bid at $2,272,372.20. Hughes, the owner of the company, said he’s excited to be a part of the endeavor.

“We’re happy the city chose us and we’re looking forward to getting started on the project,” Hughes said.

Pride of Kinston director Leon Steele said the project is another part of the renaissance happening in the area.

“When we lit the Christmas tree at Pearson Park, we heard it was symbolic of a revitalization to Kinston, which is nice,” Steele said. “This is one more piece and we know there’s plenty to come. It’s terrific for the community and the people have come together for this project. We’re all working on the same goal, and that’s making Kinston a better place.”