During its regular meeting, the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors approved a bid for the final phase of West Oxford Loop Extended Monday morning.

Six companies submitted bids for the project that ranged from $7.8 million to about $8.5 million; however, two bids had to be rejected for being incomplete.

By law, the county must choose the “lowest and best” bid. In this case, that belonged to STE-BIL Grading from Waterford with a $7.8 million bid.

The extension will connect College Hill Road to Industrial Park Road, which connects to Highway 7 North.

The West Oxford Loop project is a joint endeavor with Oxford, Lafayette County and the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to help improve interconnectivity in the area.

The last phase will complete the connection between Highway 6 West and Highway 7 North which has been part of Oxford and Lafayette County’s long-term plans for more than 20 years.