MDOT releases update on numerous Northeast Mississippi road projects

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

 

TUPELO, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) – The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has projects underway to preserve and maintain highways and bridges in northeast Mississippi, said Commissioner Mike Tagert, Northern Transportation District.

Bridge maintenance on State Route 145 in Prentiss County

Work continues on this project to replace six bridges and a box culvert along State Route 145 in Prentiss County. The existing timber pile bridges and culvert were built in the 1940s. MDOT engineers placed weight restrictions on each of the bridges which presented safety concerns for the traveling public. The project covers four separate sites.

Site 1 includes three bridges over Twenty Mile Creek, Wolf Creek and the Wolf Creek Tributary. Two of the bridges are complete through the bridge deck. Guardrails will be installed on each bridge. The third bridge over Wolf Creek Tributary at Site 1 is being demolished. Materials for reconstruction are staged on site. New asphalt will be placed throughout the site. Completion is scheduled this summer.

Site 2 includes one bridge replacement over Osborne Creek and one box culvert extension. County Road 7090 will be realigned as part of the project. Bridge construction will begin after Site 1 is completed. A signed detour will be in place.

Site 3, north of State Route 4, will rebuild one bridge over King’s Creek. Site 4, north of Thrasher Road, will replace one bridge with a new box culvert. Sites 3 and Site 4 have a construction timeline of May 2019 to July 2019. Detours will be in place.

MDOT anticipates the entire project to be complete by early summer 2020.

“These bridges have been on MDOT’s deficient bridge list and have become a public safety issue,” Tagert said. “These projects will increase safety and mobility throughout the region.”

Bridge maintenance on State Route 178 in Itawamba County

Work to replace seven bridges along State Route 178 in Itawamba County is on schedule.

Traffic is moving on the new bridge over Lick Skillet Creek, Gum Creek, Cypress Creek, a relief slough bridge, Hickory Creek and Bull Mountain Creek Bridge.

At Johns Creek, a temporary detour bridge is in place while crews construct a new, permanent bridge. A second bridge over Johns Creek will be replaced with a box culvert, which is currently under construction.

“The original bridges were constructed in the 1930s, and they have outlived their serviceable life spans,” Tagert said. “When the project is completed, it will put this section of State Route 178 back in full service.”

Bridge maintenance on State Route 245 in Lee County

The existing timber pile bridge, located about two miles south of Shannon on State Route 256, was built in 1934 and has posted weight restrictions. Inspections revealed decaying piles and section loss in the steel girders.

“The Tubbalubba Creek Bridge has outlived its design life and could become unsafe for the traveling public,” Tagert said. “The new bridge will have a design life of 75 years and will increase commerce and mobility in the area.”

A detour will be in place on U.S. Highway 45 throughout the project. Traffic will be rerouted at the Shannon exit on the north end of the project and the Okolona exit on the south end.

The $2.4 million replacement project was awarded to Joe McGee Construction in Lake. The project is expected to be completed in late fall.

Four-lane expansion on State Route 15 in Pontotoc County

A $21.5 million construction project to expand State Route 15 in Pontotoc County from two lanes to four will stretch approximately eight miles from State Route 76 north to the Union County line.

Crews will begin in Ecru, where State Route 15 will be five lanes, with two travel lanes in each direction and a central turn lane when the project is completed.

From there, crews will construct two new lanes adjacent to the current highway. Earthwork for the two new lanes was completed in October 2017.

When the two new lanes are completed, traffic will be routed off the existing highway and onto the new lanes. Crews will then mill and overlay the existing lanes.

The four-lane project also includes replacement or repair of three bridges along the existing highway. On the south end of the project, the Lappatubby Creek Bridge, which was constructed in 1955, will be replaced. The Tanglefoot Trail, which was built in 1971, will be replaced, and the existing roadway will be lowered to a similar grade as the new lanes.

A third bridge in Ecru crossing the Lappatubby Creek was built in 1971 and will see several repairs and improvements.

The project was awarded to Talbot Brothers, of Nesbit, in April. The estimated completion will be summer 2020.

Pavement Preservation Projects

“Mississippi’s roads are deteriorating at rates faster than our crews can repair them, and this trend will continue unless a stable funding solution is found,” Tagert said. “However, pavement preservation projects will improve safety, extend the life of the road surface and postpone costly, full-scale reconstructions.”

– Thirteen miles of Interstate 22 in in Lee County through Tupelo will be repaved from U.S. Highway 45 to the Itawamba County line. The $7.9 million project includes ramps and interchanges.

– A ten-mile section of U.S. Highway 82 in Lowndes County will receive an asphalt overlay from State Route 182 to Catapala Creek. The $6.3 million project is expected to be complete in late fall.

– A $2.2 million overlay project along State Route 6 in Monroe County will begin this summer. The project will stretch approximately 10 miles from State Route 145 in Nettleton to State Route 25 in Amory.

Construction zones present new traffic patterns and configurations that can cause confusion to some motorists. For information about how to navigate highway work zones safely, visit GoMDOT.com/drivesmartms.

“Workers may be present on these maintenance and construction projects,” Said Melinda McGrath, P.E., MDOT executive director. “MDOT encourages drivers to slow down in work zones so our crew members can make it home safe to their families.”

For more information on MDOT maintenance and construction projects, visit MDOTtraffic.com, call Mississippi 511, download the free MDOT Traffic app or like and follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook and Twitter.

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