Proven Management Inc. should get the go-ahead in 30 to 45 days to start work, with the project taking 32 months, Corps officials in Sacramento said.

The contractor will be installing culverts and widening the bank to double the creek's water-carrying capacity in a major flood.

The contractor must come up with a working plan, officials said. Public education is a required part of the contract.

Construction will occur along the creek between Jefferson Street and the Napa River. Vehicle bridges at Behrens and Coombs streets will be removed. A pedestrian bridge has already been constructed at Coombs. Another pedestrian span will be built at Behrens.

The Corps expects to award another contract at the end of July for the design of a river flood bypass channel that will run from McKinstry Street to Napa Creek.

Both Napa Creek and the bypass design are being paid for with federal economic stimulus grants, as is the current $65 million contract to elevate and relocate railroad tracks near downtown.

The design of the bypass could take a year and a half, officials said.

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