A new stretch of road with potential to open a new retail district in Richland is taking form after years of litigation.

The city of Richland expects to secure the four remaining sites it needs to extend Center Parkway from Gage Boulevard south to Tapteal Drive, across a set of railroad tracks, by the end of January. Construction could begin as early as this year.

Richland, with support from the city of Kennewick, wants to extend the road to improve traffic around the Columbia Center mall area and promote retail development on Tapteal, which extends from Steptoe Street to Columbia Center Boulevard.

Tapteal is already developed with hotels, furniture stores and other businesses, but the lack of easy access to Gage is a barrier.

In December, the Richland City Council agreed to pay $101,000 for a portion of a recreational vehicle storage lot it needs for the road and to use another area of the property during construction. Columbia Center Estates Homeowners is the seller.

The council also agreed to pay $745,000 for the Mail by the Mall site, 8220 W. Gage Blvd., which stands directly in the path of the future road. The seller is McCoy Family Investments LLC, which was able to negotiate a higher price than the city’s $350,000 appraisal by employing alternative appraisers.

Mail by the Mall will relocate but hasn’t settled on a new spot.

The city previously closed a deal for property next to Mail by the Mall and is finalizing a deal with Benton Public Utility District for a sliver of its substation, said Pete Rogalsky, public works director for Richland.

The properties are south of the railroad tracks, inside the city of Kennewick.

The city reached an agreement to cross the railroad tracks several years ago. The Center Parkway extension will cross the Tri-City Railroad tracks at grade, with crossing arms, flashing lights and other safety equipment in place.