TUPELO, MS — The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) announces updates on several construction and maintenance projects in northeast Mississippi.
“We’re doing everything we can. We have so much more to do, it’s hard to get too excited,” said Commissioner John Caldwell, Northern Transportation District. “Thankfully, our legislature has provided us more money in order to do more work."
A $195 million project is underway in Tippah County to construct 10.5 miles of a new four-lane alignment of State Route 15 from Union County to Ripley and a State Route 2 connector in Blue Mountain. This project consists of grading, building bridges, and laying drainage pipes.
The contractor is currently clearing the sites for the interchanges at State Route 4 and Cotton Gin Road and excavating and installing drainage structures at the State Route 368 interchange. The contractor has cleared and grassed approximately 220 of the 880 total acres on the project. This project will create a bypass of Blue Mountain and Ripley to reduce congestion, decrease drive time, and make a much safer four-lane route for travelers.
The contract was awarded to W.G. Yates & Sons of Jackson, Mississippi. Work is expected to be complete in summer 2028.
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A $58.7 million project is underway in Union County to construct nearly 6 miles of new parallel lanes of State Route 15 to complete the four-lane connection of Pontotoc to New Albany. The contractor has completed 3 miles of grading, drainage, and paving on the new lanes, and traffic was swapped over to the new alignment, allowing for the replacement of the old bridge and pavement on the original highway.
The contractor is currently working on grading, guardrail, riprap, and paving on portions of the project. This project will be the last section of SR 15 to be four-laned from Pontotoc to New Albany and will provide a much safer and economical route for travelers.
The contract was awarded to Talbot Brothers Contracting of Nesbit, Mississippi. Work is expected to be complete in spring 2027.
A mill and overlay project has been let in Alcorn County on 15 miles of State Route 2 from the Tippah County line to U.S. 72. This project will consist of digging out failed areas, milling and overlaying, placing rumble strips, new stripe and markers, and replacing signs. The $4.6 million project was awarded to APAC of Jackson. The project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.
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A $5.3 million mill and overlay project is nearing completion in Chickasaw County on 15 miles of State Route 15 from south of Houston to the Pontotoc County line. The contractor has finished all paving and is currently laying shoulder gravel. Once complete, the final work will consist of placing rumble strips, stripe, and raised pavement markers. The contract was awarded to Cook and Son Construction LLC of Smithville, Mississippi. Work is expected to be complete in early spring 2025.
A mill and overlay project has been let in Chickasaw County on 13 miles of State Route 245 from U.S. 45A to State Route 145 in Shannon. This project will consist of digging out failed areas, mill and overlay, placing rumble strips, new stripe, markers, and replacing signs. Construction signs have been erected, and the contractor will begin repairing failed areas in the near future. The $6 million project was awarded to W.G. Construction of Ripley, Mississippi. The project is scheduled to be complete in summer 2025.
A project to replace two State Route 407 bridges over the Yockanokany River in Choctaw County is progressing. The bridges are being replaced after they reached the end of their service life. The contractor has nearly completed bridge construction, but the roadway construction will be delayed over the winter until spring. This $5.2 million project was awarded to Ste-Bil Grading of Waterford, Mississippi. This bridge project is expected to be completed in early summer 2025.
