The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and general contractor Huey P. Stockstill, LLC are working on the Interstate 10 (I-10) widening project in Harrison and Hancock counties. This project is part of MDOT’s goal to expand the interstate to six lanes throughout the state.
I-10 runs from Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, passing through southern Mississippi along the way. In the project area, the average daily traffic is 49,000, with a large percentage of that traffic being commercial vehicles.
Whenever a lane is closed for maintenance or emergencies, the route experiences significant delays.
Harrison and Hancock counties are in the southeastern part of Mississippi. MDOT has already expanded I-10 to six lanes from just west of State Route 57 in Jackson County, eastward to the project area. The project will cover 9 miles and connect to an existing six-lane section.
MDOT determined the project length based on available financing.
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"We hope to eventually get funding to expand I-10 to six lanes to Pearl River [approximately 30 miles from the end of the current project], which is the dividing line with Louisiana," said Scott White, Assistant District Engineer - Construction for MDOT.
The newly widened I-10 will end in Diamondhead, Mississippi, a city on the Bay of St. Louis that has a population of approximately 10,000.
In addition to widening the highway, the team is:
- Installing a noise barrier wall near Diamondhead. The route runs near a large residential neighborhood.
- Constructing a multi-use path. The path is near Diamondhead, extends approximately 2 miles behind the noise barrier, and connects a local walkway path.
- Performing earthwork and drainage work.
- Removing edge drain pipe underneath the pavement that led to large potholes and emergency lane closures within the project.
- Implementing tech upgrades, including traffic cameras and digital message boards to notify the public of traffic conditions.
- Repaving the existing asphalt.
- Widening three bridges.
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"The message boards will be invaluable during storm events, as they will direct motorists where to go to safety," White said. The area gets more than its fair share of storms due to its location on the Gulf Coast.
The team employed hydro demolition to remove the bridge decks. Hydro demolition was used to keep the dust down and better preserve the reinforcing steel in the existing deck.
One of the bridges crosses the Wolf River, which got its name from the red wolf that used to inhabit the area, according to Wildlife Mississippi. It is one of the cleanest rivers in the state. Locals use the recreational waterway for fishing, kayaking, and tubing. During low tide in the summer, when rain is rarer, one can wade across the river.
An MDOT press release said that the new lanes will be “built within the existing median, and the outside shoulder is being widened to accommodate a traffic shift toward the outer lanes."
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The team is required to keep two lanes of traffic open. White called this requirement to widen the road while maintaining traffic on both lanes "one of the biggest challenges on the job."
As noted above, when a lane of traffic is closed due to maintenance, major backups occur. To avoid this condition and allow traffic to maintain its normal flow, the team widened the outside shoulder on both the east and west sides of the highway. However, the shoulders were unable to sustain regular movement of heavy commercial traffic.
When the team was performing emergency repairs during the day, the congestion led to major backups. Ultimately, the team took a proactive approach to complete the repairs. They shut down the shoulder. This work required a lane closure and was performed at night when traffic volumes are lower. It took approximately 40 nights of two subcontractors working simultaneously.
"We removed the edge drains, which had been damaged, and installed new drains, put down a layer of limestone rock, and backfilled it with asphalt," White said. The team did this throughout the project area on the east and west sides.
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Aside from this emergency repair, the project proceeded as planned.
Huey P. Stockstill is headquartered in Picayune, Mississippi, about 25 miles northwest of the project area. The third-generation family-owned business has been around for over 50 years. White said he has been pleased with Huey P. Stockstill’s work on the project.
"They're a local from the area and are very experienced,” he said. “They have great rapport with the office and field staff, deliver on time, and are a good partner for us. I'm happy that they were the low bid."
He added that the general contractor's overall approach to the job and coordination have been great.
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"We're on the same page," White said. "Huey P. Stockstill is good at giving us their schedule, and they're forthcoming about any changes they see coming in the future. It's been a good team experience."
Because of that, the project is on schedule. Work on the project began in summer 2024, and the extra lanes will be open to traffic in September 2026. The project will wrap up in March 2027 after the team adds message boards and cameras.
The construction budget for the project is $155 million, and it is on budget. White credits the contractor and the smooth working relationship for keeping the project’s budget on track. The work on the shoulders cost $8.1 million and is included in the overall $155 million budget.
The state government is paying 20 percent, while the federal government is paying the remainder. The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) granted the project a Mega Grant for $60 million in 2022. It was one of just nine projects to win one that year.
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According to USDOT’s website, the “Mega Program (the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program) supports large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits.”
A USDOT fact sheet noted that the project will “strengthen access to locations across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and major southern cities. ... Additionally, the project will promote future economic growth, including freight industries that also support international trade and vitality in the region.”
Other points that drove the decision to award the grant include the economic importance of the project area. According to the fact sheet, the project runs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, providing “access to the nearby Hancock County Port Bienville and State Port of Gulfport, which also serves as a strategic port for military operations.”
Safety benefits include an estimated 22 percent reduction to the project area’s crash rate. MDOT bases this on the statewide crash rate for similar facilities with similar traffic counts.
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The USDOT fact sheet also points out climate benefits. The I-10 widening project will “improve overall energy efficiency and result in a reduction in pollution and noise. In addition to reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, construction materials will minimize the carbon footprint and provide a safer and healthier working environment for employees."
White said that the project, which had been on the books for a while, would not have moved forward without the Mega Grant.
When the project is completed, drivers will experience a smoother ride and less congestion. The route will be safer, and emergency vehicles will be able to more quickly get through the area. The digital message boards will keep drivers informed, and the noise barrier wall will reduce noise pollution for area residents. The project’s multi-use path will also benefit pedestrians and bicyclists.
- Owner: Mississippi Department of Transportation; Project Engineer, Zach Lott
- General Contractor: Huey P. Stockstill, LLC, Picayune, Mississippi
- Designer: Gresham Smith, Nashville, Tennessee
- Other Key Contractors: Warren Paving, Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Key Construction, Madison, Mississippi
