RIPLEY, MS — Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) Northern Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell recently joined Governor Tate Reeves and other officials to break ground on the Highway 15 widening project in Ripley, Mississippi.

The Highway 15 project, dubbed the Ripley Bypass, was awarded to W.G. Yates Construction of Jackson, Mississippi, in April for $194.9 million. The first phase of the project will construct a new alignment and four-lane State Route 15 in Tippah County from Union County to 1 mile north of State Route 4 in Ripley. Work will consist of grading, drainage, and bridge construction. Construction is expected to be completed in summer of 2028.

“The Highway 15 bypass stands as a modern-day benchmark for our revitalized capacity program,” Caldwell said. “It demonstrates a commitment to prioritization and planning that should encourage everyone. Notably, it shows our continued commitment to investing in our existing industry, commerce, and Mississippi taxpayers, as well as our future.”

The Highway 15 project was “shelf ready” and one the Mississippi Legislature funded to revitalize the MDOT capacity program.

“Thanks to the investment of the Mississippi Legislature, MDOT is able to not only focus on maintaining the taxpayers $66 billion asset of highways and bridges, but we are now able to construct significant projects, such as this Highway 15 widening, which add efficiency to our system,” MDOT Executive Director Brad White said. “I am very grateful to the legislature for their investment, as well as to the men and women of the Mississippi Department of Transportation for their hard work in putting this money to good use.”