Highways 11 and 590 get improvements

By: By Eloria Newell James, community@leadercall.com

 

ELLISVILLE — State officials say improvements to a portion of Highway 11 in northern Jones County are nearing completion while another project on Highway 590 in southern Jones County is beginning. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has worked to rehabilitate several miles of U.S. Highway 11 in the northern part of the county and is beginning work on a bypass project in the Ellisville area. MDOT Project Engineer Steven Parker said Warren Paving Company of Hattiesburg was granted the contract for the Highway 11 project, which totaled $2,233,820.37. Parker said the work on the highway improvement project began in September. “We did a little widening, but the majority of the work was doing a milling and overlay from approximately 18th Street in Laurel to the Sandersville-Heidelberg Road in Sandersville,” he explained. “The project contained approximately eight miles of U.S. Highway 11.” Parker said employees were the final portion of the project were “finishing up the driveway paths and local road access.” He said the project last week only had “stripping and rumble strips left to be completed,” and completion of the project was anticipated for the end of October. “We have appreciated the public’s understanding and their patience during this project,” Parker said. “We have several projects going on Jones County and we are just asking the motorists’ patience as we work to improve the roads in the area.” Robert Hinton, project engineer with MDOT, said work has begun on MDOT’s project to construct a Highway 590 Bypass Jones County Junior College in Ellisville. He said work has begun “clearing right of ways through the designated area.” “Highway 590 construction started about a month ago,” Hinton explained. “Right now they have close to 20 acres cleared from Augusta Road east.” Hinton said the bypass project is designed to “help alleviate a lot of truck traffic coming through Ellisville.” “It will be connecting Highway 590 on the west end, then cross over (Highway) 11 (in Ellisville) behind Jones County Junior College,” he explained. “The bypass will connect with Highway 29 south of Ellisville.” Hinton said the project includes approximately 2.7 miles of roadway. He said Tanner Construction Company is handling project, which has been estimated at approximately $12 million. The project engineer said the bypass project’s end of contract time has been projected for August 30, 2013.

Weather delays intersection closure; postponed a third time

By: By David Owens, newseditor@laurelleadercall.com

 

LAUREL — The planned closure of the intersection at 16th Avenue and Highway 84 West has been postponed for a third time. Robert Hinton, project engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, said Tanner Construction Co. of Laurel, which is the contractor on the project, delayed the project until next weekend due to weather concerns. The project, which was originally planned for last month, has been rescheduled twice due to complications at the asphalt plant. Hinton said he visited the asphalt plant Tuesday to make sure the problems have been resolved. “They’ve made modifications at the plant, and have been laying kind of low with anticipation of cranking it up for this weekend,” he said. “They didn’t want anything to break between now and this weekend.” Hinton said Gary Tanner, owner of Tanner Construction Co., made the call due to weather concerns this weekend. Scattered thunderstorms are expected in the area as early as today. The $3.1 million intersection improvement project will add an exclusive right turn lane from Congress Street south to the Interstate 59 southbound on-ramp, as well as dual left turn lanes from 16th Avenue headed north to Highway 84 east and from 84 to Highway 15 north. Traffic signals are also being upgraded to mast arm supports at the intersection. The closure is necessary to allow crews to replace the roadway surface at the intersection.

Construction to close some Jones County roadways

By: WDAM

 

JONES COUNTY, MS (WDAM) - The Mississippi Department of Transportation is announcing the following traffic advisory as part of a Jones County intersection improvement project. This $3.1 million project, awarded to Tanner Construction Company, involves adding an exclusive right turn lane from Congress Street south to the Interstate 59 southbound on-ramp. Traffic signals are being upgraded to mast arm supports at the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 84. Depending on good weather conditions, crews plan to close the intersection of Highway 15 and Highway 84 in Laurel beginning at 7:00 p.m. Friday, June 24 through Monday, June 27 at 6:00 a.m. The road closure will allow crews replace the roadway surface at the intersection. The following detours will be established for area motorists: For traffic traveling southbound on Highway 15 the detouring traffic will go east on 6th Street then south on 14th Avenue then west on 3rd Street then south on Highway 15. For traffic traveling northbound on Highway 15 the detouring traffic will go east on 1st Street then north on 13th Avenue then west on 12th Street then north on Highway 15. Highway 84 east and westbound traffic will use Hillcrest Drive and Interstate 59 for a detour route. Along with signal improvements, crews will also resurface the project area and widen roadway turn lanes. The project is scheduled for completion in this fall.

Fall finish planned for 463

By: KATIE EUBANKS Sun Staff Writer

 

THE HIGHWAY 463 project in downtown Madison is on track to be finished by October 14, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). Neil Patterson, MDOT’s project engineer, said crews are working on schedule to construct a new four-lane stretch of 463 north of downtown Madison, along with a 1,300-foot-long bridge to cross the railroad tracks west of Highway 51. “We’re working on the bridge right now, getting all the beams set. And they’re still working on the columns and the caps to set the beams on. They’re finished on the west side of the railroad tracks with the caps, and they’re going to start setting all the rest of the beams on that side,” Patterson said. “Then they’ll begin pouring the deck pours on that side of the bridge. They’ve started working on internal bents,” he said. “And then they’re working on the roadway too.” Crews with Dickerson and Bowen of Brookhaven have already diverted 463 to the north at Crawford Street, just east of I-55, and constructed the new roadway east from Crawford to Post Oak Road. Now Tanner Construction - which was awarded a contract in May 2010 - is finishing the second phase of the project, in which the highway will run from Post Oak across Pecan Hill Drive before the bridge rises 33 feet above the railroad tracks. The highway will then cross Magnolia Street and connect with West Hoy Road before crossing 51 and continuing to Old Canton on Hoy. According to a traffic-volume map on MDOT’s Web site, 21,000 vehicles traveled every day on 463/Main between I-55 and Highway 51 in 2008. The new bypass should help calm traffic and allow the old 463/Main Street to become a pedestrian-friendly route through historic downtown Madison - though vehicles will still travel the road. Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler said the city hopes to see brick sidewalks and specialty shops in the downtown area, and the city has received earmark funds to erect a decorative archway over Main Street just west of the Chamber of Commerce. PATTERSON SAID the 463 bridge will include 14 large strawberry shapes impressed into the concrete caps. Each strawberry is about six feet tall and five feet wide. The $27 million project - including the strawberries - is being funded by a HELP (Highway Enhancement through Local Partnerships) bond, which will be paid for by MDOT with federal funds. District 5 Construction Engineer Ken Wallace called the cost of the strawberry impressions “minimal” and said the process was “fairly cheap and easy to do.” The cost of the strawberry impressions themselves wasn’t immediately available at press time.

Test piles driven for Industrial Road flyover project in Pascagoula

By: April M. Havens

 

PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- A major road project in the works since the '90s is making progress at the intersection of U.S. 90 and Mississippi 63, state transportation officials said. The multimillion-dollar overpass project is meant to make commutes more efficient through east Jackson County's industrial corridor and boost safety at the railroad crossing. It will connect Mississippi 63 to Miss. 611, bypassing U.S. 90 and the CSX railroad. It will also widen Mississippi 611, or Industrial Road, to five lanes up to the Gulf LNG Energy's liquefied natural gas facility. In March, Ellisville, Miss.-based Tanner Construction began excavating and hauling debris from an old storm dumping area near Old Mobile Highway, said Kelly Castleberry, district engineer for the state Department of Transportation. "Now they've brought in a large crane and driven the test piles just east of the intersection of Miss. 63 and U.S. 90," he said. "We will calculate the amount of resistance we're getting as we drive those in to the soil and determine how long they need to be." From there, "they will continue with the excavation on the south end of the project and get the piles ordered." Soon after that, residents will see urban embankments on each side of U.S. 90, he said, which will stay in place for up to six months while crews measure the ground settlement. During those six months, pilings will begin going into the ground, and then the overpass structure will be constructed. Phase one should be complete by summer 2013, Castleberry said. The first phase -- which includes roadwork along Miss. 63 from Frederick Street south to Old Mobile Highway, realignment work, and the overpass -- will cost $20 million, he said. The second phase is to five-lane Industrial Road from Old Mobile Highway to the LNG facility. MDOT is waiting for a pipeline to be relocated next summer, then the second phase will be bid. MDOT and county leaders have said that the project, which could affect future investments in the area, is long overdue. "I've lived in fear that a train would hit a fuel truck coming out of Chevron or something," Southern District highway Commissioner Wayne Brown has said.

Laurel enters into agreement with MDOT

By: By Eloria Newell James, community@leadercall.com

 

LAUREL — The City of Laurel has entered into an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) in connection with several highway improvements. The Laurel City Council this week approved an order authorizing Laurel Mayor Melvin Mack to sign a document granting easements and entering into a construction agreement with MDOT regarding the reconstruction of some roadways. According to the documents, the agreement is in connection with Project No. HSIP-0022-01(056). The project includes reconstruction work on Mississippi Highway 15 from 10th Street to Interstate 59, the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 84 from Country Club Drive to Mississippi Highway 15, and the reconstruction of Fifth Street from Mississippi Highway 15 to 15th Avenue. Officials said the Mississippi Department of Transportation proposes to undertake a project for the improvement of traffic flow along certain portions of U.S. Highway 84 and Mississippi Highway 15 as well as the intersection of those two thoroughfares. “The City of Laurel, as the owner of easements and property underlying the area that is to be affected by the proposed reconstruction, had to grant permission to the Mississippi Department of Transportation before certain adjustments and/or grade changes can be made,” the council’s order states. “The actual reconstruction work will require traffic detours onto municipally-maintained streets, requiring a cooperative agreement between MDOT and the city.” Robert Hinton, project engineer with MDOT, said the project is a signal and geometric design upgrade at Highway 84 and Highway 15, which is 16th Avenue through the City of Laurel. Hinton said the project was let in November with the actual work on the project beginning on Feb. 17th. Tanner Construction of Ellisville will be handling the project for the state. “The project is expected to take about a year,” Hinton said. “There will be some minor delays and some detours during the project.” Hinton said the initial work is being done on 16th Avenue near the Interstate 59 interchange. “We’ve started the widening project,” he said. “We are working from Congress Street to the Interstate 59 southbound on-ramp. “This project will provide an exclusive right turning lane,” he said. “Then, we will move to 16th Avenue and Highway 84 to upgrade signal lights.” Hinton said some time during the month of June or July there will be a weekend where traffic will be detoured from the 84/16th Avenue intersection. “We will have to shut down the intersection for two separate weekends to do some repairs,” he explained. “We have to remove asphalt and upgrade the intersection. So, we will have to close it for a little while. “When we do this portion of the project, the intersection will close at 7 p.m. on Friday and reopen at 6 a.m. on that Monday,” Hinton explained. “When we complete the work, we will have added dual left turning lanes from Highway 15 to Highway 84 West and from Highway 84 to Highway 15 North.” The anticipated completion date of the overall project is Nov. 18, 2011.

Building a bridge

By: Lucy Weber/MCHerald

 

The project of relocating Mississippi 463 to connect to U.S. 51 is scheduled for completion later this year. Currently running slightly behind schedule, the work to construct a four-lane road and lengthy bridge over the railroad tracks stands at about 26 percent complete, said Neil Patterson, project engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation. "The contractor is working toward finishing in October," Patterson said. A 1,284-foot bridge is the key component of the project that routes traffic north of the existing two-lane section of Mississippi 463, which is called Main Street through town. The new new section of Mississippi 463 connects with the four-lane boulevard section that runs east from I-55. The new bridge will rise approximately 33 feet into the air to clear the train tracks. MDOT and city officials have said the height of the bridge will make it easily visible from all directions. A retaining wall for the bridge is almost complete, and all the drilled shafts and footings have been complete on the bridge, Patterson said. Work has also commenced just east on U.S. 51 on Hoy Road. The MDOT project also includes extending the four lanes of the new road on Hoy Road to Old Canton Road, he said. Tanner Construction bid $27.4 million for the job, almost 15 percent below the state estimate. The construction resulted in the city's closing off two roads to through traffic. Pecan Hill Drive just past the parking lot of Madison United Methodist Church is shut down and so is Hoy Road Extension just past the parking lot of First Baptist Church of Madison. "It has limited our access some, but people have been very good about it," said Glenn Holder, business administrator for First Baptist. "Sometimes it takes some inconvenience to make progress." The current stretch of Main Street will remain open once the new road opens. Madison plans to convert it into a pedestrian-friendly area filled with shops and restaurants. Cars will still be able to travel on Main Street through what will be considered the city's historic district.

New I-20 Bridge Opens In Jackson

By: WAPT

 

JACKSON, Miss. -- The wait is over. The new Interstate 20 bridge over State Street and Highway 51 is finally open. Traffic was picking up on the new bridge Wednesday morning, despite the rainy conditions. Mississippi Department of Transportation workers worked Tuesday night to restripe the area of I-20 and their work jammed traffic for miles, but those frustrated drivers soon had a reason to be happy. A year's worth of construction is complete for the busy portion of I-20 westbound near Gallatin Street. "I hope it's going to open up traffic. It will move a lot smoother and it won't be quite so crowded," commuter Forrest Boyd said. MDOT said it built the bridge because the other one needed serious attention. "Once our bridge inspectors found those cracks, they deemed it necessary that we needed to do something," said Brian Ratliff of MDOT. MDOT said the new 72-feet-wide steel bridge will help ease traffic congestion and allow workers to remove the detour in the median, which some drivers found to be hazardous. "People stopping, people in the wrong lanes trying to get over at the last minute has always been a problem," FedEx driver Bernard Lawson said. Lawson drives a tractor-trailer for a living. He said he clocks hundreds of miles on I-20 and is encouraged to see a portion of the work complete. McDonald's restaurant manager Deborah Grey said opening the bridge will have a positive impact on her restaurant, which overlooks the busy expressway. "It's sending more sales for me -- more money in our pocket -- and bring business to the community, that what we need," Grey said. MDOT said opening the bridge now allows it to reconstruct the State Street ramp underneath it. MDOT hopes to open up that ramp by the end of March. It will reconnect traffic flow from Gallatin Street to Interstate 55 south. State officials anticipate the bridge to stand strong for 50 years or more before needing any work. They said this is just the beginning of a larger project for I-20 between the river and I-55.