By the end of October, the long-closed Old Highway 20 bridge should reopen to traffic. It’s a good thing, too, because officials anticipate the road will be well-used by workers traveling to and from the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing U.S.A. plant now under construction.

On Monday, the Limestone County Commission will consider — and likely approve — a cost-sharing agreement between the county and the city of Huntsville, which is paying a portion of the $3.2 million project along with federal emergency-relief funds, the Alabama Department of Transportation and Limestone County.

Limestone County and the city of Huntsville plan to pay about $173,000 each. At Wednesday’s commission work session, County Engineer Marc Massey said Huntsville City Council approved its portion at a recent meeting.

The project was awarded last month, but the low bidder — Eutaw Construction Co. of Madison, Mississippi — has not been given a notice to proceed. Massey anticipated the notice would be issued in mid-February.

Utilities are now being relocated. When that process is finished, crews may then begin demolishing the old bridge.

Massey is confident the bridge will be open by Oct. 31.

“Everybody involved is on the same page,” he said.

The two-lane bridge on Old Highway 20 has been closed since the Christmas Day 2015 flood. Rushing water knocked out a footer and left the bridge underwater for about a week.

Prior to the bridge closing, Old Highway 20 was often used by local farmers and commuters who wanted to avoid gridlock on Interstate 565. The road intersects with County Line Road to the east and Mooresville Road to the west.

In addition to the new bridge, there are long-term plans to five-lane Old Highway 20 because of its proximity to the Mazda Toyota plant. Funding for the project will be derived from a tax-increment financing district (TIF) approved in early 2018 by the city of Huntsville. The same TIF will also fund the completion of the nearby Greenbrier Parkway and provide new rail spurs to the Mazda Toyota plant.