HATTIESBURG, MS — Commissioner Charles Busby, Southern Transportation District, announces updates to several Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) projects in south Mississippi.
"Transformative infrastructure projects are taking shape across southeast Mississippi, supporting the growth of the region I’m proud to call home,” Busby said. “In the last year, considerable progress has been made on several major projects such as I-10 and U.S. 49, and in the new year, Mississippi Gulf Coast residents can expect a few more significant projects to kick off that will add traffic capacity, enhance safety, and preserve existing infrastructure.”
A major project to widen I-10 from four to six lanes from Diamondhead to County Farm Road in Harrison and Hancock counties continues to progress. The scope of work also includes technological upgrades and the construction of a multi-use path and a noise barrier wall near the Diamondhead exit. Widening operations are ongoing on the westbound side as crews work in the median to construct the new lane. Near the Diamondhead exit, westbound traffic has been shifted to the newly constructed inside lanes to allow for construction to begin on the noise barrier wall. Bridge widening work continues on the inside lanes of the three bridges along the route. The $155 million contract was awarded to Huey P. Stockstill, LLC of Picayune, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed in 2027.
Crews are making headway on a massive $212.6 million project to widen and create a new, four-lane alignment on approximately 9 miles of State Route 57 from I-10 to Vancleave in Jackson County. Earthwork and drainage construction is nearing completion at the Gautier Vancleave Road interchange, and the contractor is working south toward I-10. Work will resume on the interchange overpass since abutment construction is now complete. Between Humphrey Road and the SR 57 connector interchange, earthwork is underway. Bridge work in the vicinity of the Jim Ramsay Road interchange includes the Jim Ramsay Road overpass, Jim Ramsay Road over Bluff Creek, and SR 57 over Bluff Creek. Crushed stone base is being placed along SR 57 in various locations in preparation for upcoming paving in 2025. The project was awarded to W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Company of Jackson, Mississippi, and is expected to wrap up in 2027.
A $66.7 million safety improvement project is ongoing in Forrest and Jones counties on I-59 from the Lamar County line to just south of Moselle. Cable barrier and edge drain have been installed. Concrete removal and paving from the Bouie River to the Lamar County line will begin in 2025. This project was awarded to Dunn Roadbuilders of Laurel, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed in summer 2025.
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A major project to widen U.S. 49 from four to six lanes from O’Neal Road to north of School Road is making progress. On the southbound side, drainage work is complete, and widening work continues as crews place stone base to support the new southbound lanes. The scope of work includes the construction of a full continuous flow intersection at State Route 53, the first of its kind in the state of Mississippi. The $44.9 million project was awarded to Necaise Brothers of Gulfport, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed in 2026.
Work is progressing on a $17 million project to reconstruct the I-10 Diamondhead interchange (Exit 16), which involves overpass and ramp widening, the construction of three roundabouts, and the addition of a multi-use path. Two of the four ramps have been widened, and the I-10 W exit ramp is currently closed to traffic while crews widen it. The north roundabout is nearing completion, and caps have been formed to support the widened overpass. The project was awarded to T. L. Wallace Construction, Inc. of Columbia, Mississippi, and is expected to wrap up in 2026.
Crews are placing beams and pouring diaphragms on a $21.9 million bridge replacement project on U.S. 11 over Hobolochitto Creek in Pearl River County. The new bridge is being constructed adjacent to the existing bridge, minimizing traffic interruptions. The project was awarded to Cotton Creek Transport of Laurel and is expected to wrap up in late 2025.
Work is ongoing to construct a pedestrian walkway along U.S. 49 from Turkey Creek to just north of Creosote Road. Drainage work continues as crews install precast box culverts and reinforced concrete pipe. The project will also include designated crosswalks and a median barrier. The $14.5 million project was awarded to Necaise Brothers and is expected to be completed in 2026.
