SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — After more than a year of planning, the largest capital improvement project in Sioux City history is finally taking shape.

City council members unanimously agreed Monday to enter negotiations with Kiewit for work on the first phase of the reconstruction of Sioux City’s wastewater treatment facility. The first phase of the project is expected to cost around $275 million, with the three-phase project carrying a price tag of nearly $500 million.

Sioux City’s regional wastewater treatment plant was built in 1961 and, in recent years, has faced a growing list of serious operational problems. In 2023, the city approved sewer rate hikes to help pay for the half-billion dollar project.