Hawthorne city officials have decided to spend $11 million on an overhaul of the city’s main thoroughfare in hopes it will spur new economic development along the sagging strip.

Modern crosswalks, bike paths, wider sidewalks, new storm drain pipes and catch basins and as well as better street lights and bus-stop shelters are among the planned improvements. Public Works Director Arnie Shadbehr said he expects construction to begin this spring and finish near the end of the year.

“The final product is going to be reliable infrastructure with all the amenities you need for the right type of development,” Shadbehr told the City Council on Tuesday. “Private-sector development needs reliable water lines and streets and, at the same time, modern amenities incorporated into design.”

City Council members voted 5-0 on Tuesday night in support of Shadbehr’s plan, which now will go out to bid to find contractors to do the work.

“This is going to beautify Hawthorne Boulevard, it’s going to increase traffic flow and meet all (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements,” Councilman Alex Vargas said. “It’s making the boulevard even more pedestrian-friendly, and it’s also tapping our boulevard into the (South Bay) biking network for all the biking aficionados.”

The boulevard, from Rosecrans Avenue to Imperial Highway, has suffered from city neglect and a lack of interest from developers for decades.

Last year, the city hired a consultant to work with the community to develop a plan for the strip. Pasadena-based MIG now is putting together a plan based on market analysis, land-use inventory and community feedback. But that study won’t be put into play until this project is finished.

Shadbehr said the first phase will focus on widening Rosecrans Avenue at Hawthorne Boulevard, and adding left-turn pockets and a new traffic signal. Localized street repairs will be done at the same time as new sewer pipes are installed underground. Once that work is finished, the Hawthorne Boulevard median island will be reconstructed, and new curbs, gutters and storm drains will be installed.

Underground filtration chambers will be constructed during the work on the medians, along with catch basins to collect trash so that storm water runoff can be quickly diverted from streets that currently flood during rainstorms.

All of the boulevard’s traffic signals will be replaced, and a new one will be added at 141st Street. Once the underground work is done, the boulevard will be repaved with rubberized asphalt. Finally, bike lanes, modern crosswalks with flashing beacons, street lights and bus-stop shelters will be installed.

Mayor Chris Brown praised the plans, and said he wants the city to install a monument to SpaceX, a private space exploration company based in Hawthorne, once the work is finished.

“Most definitely we should move forward with this project,” Brown said. “We have businesses that are going to be visiting so, if they know this plan is moving forward, we don’t want to delay. Hawthorne Boulevard can be lit up overnight with this information.”