Santa Claus appears to be coming early for Caldwell County.

A pivotal road project geared toward jolting Caldwell County's moribund economy is scheduled for approval by a state transportation body on Thursday in Raleigh.

During Tuesday's Caldwell County Economic Development Commission meeting, Harry Whalen, the organization's executive director, said the road project that will connect with Grace Chapel Road and run along the rear of the Merchants Distributors Inc. and Walmart sites is expected to receive the go-ahead by the North Carolina Board of Transportation during a meeting Thursday morning.

The road will allow MDI, the county's largest commercial employer, to have additional transportation access once a planned expansion project for the food distribution company is completed. The expansion of MDI - which is considered part of the City of Hickory but pays Caldwell County property taxes - is expected to create 200 new jobs by 2014.

The $7.5 million project has been included as an amendment to the state's transportation improvement plan, with construction projected to begin during the current state fiscal year that ends next September.

Aside from the MDI impact, the road will offer alternate access to U.S. 321 from Grace Chapel, one of the county's most congested roadways, and contains prime undeveloped land for future business ventures.

Thursday's approval will mark a culmination of a nearly two-year effort that brought together Caldwell County, Granite Falls, Hickory and Lenoir government interests. While the county, Granite Falls and Hickory utilized resources to conduct preliminary site evaluations and environmental studies, Lenoir agreed to delay a planned road project near Whitnel Elementary School to put the Grace Chapel connector near the top of the NCDOT construction list.

"The major benefit of this project will be the expansion of MDI and job creation, which is sorely needed," Whalen said. "The other important factor in all of this is the unity shown by Granite Falls, the county, the City of Hickory and the City of Lenoir. This demonstrates the commitment of the government entities in all coming together."

In other business from the EDC meeting, the board:

* Received an update on the multi-county data center corridor project. Whalen said he and fellow board member and Google Operations Manager Tom Jacobik will be meeting with Catawba County Economic Development Corporation President Scott Millar to discuss marketing strategies for the corridor.

Seeking to capitalize on the location of Google in Lenoir and Apple in Maiden, Caldwell, Catawba, Burke, Iredell and Alexander counties have formed the coalition aimed at attracting more companies in the high-tech, high-paying sector.

* Reviewed the grant status of current and completed projects. EDC Special Projects and Grants Coordinator Bobby White warned that additional competition from other counties could make it tougher to obtain North Carolina Rural Economic Center grants, which have been a key driver of economic incentives for the county.