Alexandria Renew Enterprises awarded a contract to Traylor-Shea Joint Venture to design and construct the RiverRenew Tunnel System Project, according to a news release.

City Council approved transferring ownership of the city’s four combined sewer outfalls to AlexRenew in April 2018, and AlexRenew has been working to implement its RiverRenew project since then. Granting the $454.4 million contract to Traylor-Shea is a significant step forward for the project that is designed to bring the city into compliance with statewide clean water mandates, according to the release.

The RiverRenew project will involve the construction of a two-mile long, 12-foot- wide tunnel, shafts and other sewer infrastructure and will prevent about 130 million gallons of sewage from entering the Potomac River, Hunting Creek and Hooffs Run, according to the release.