HATTIESBURG, MS — Commissioner Charles Busby, Southern Transportation District, announces updates to several Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) projects in south Mississippi.

“As I begin my term as Southern District Transportation Commissioner, it is thrilling to see such consequential infrastructure work taking place in my home region of southeast Mississippi,” Busby said. “From massive capacity projects to overlay jobs, this construction helps set southeastern Mississippi on a course to success by meeting the infrastructure needs of today and many years into the future.”

A project to widen I-10 from four to six lanes from Diamondhead to County Farm Road in Harrison County has begun. New lanes will be built within the existing median, and digital message signs and traffic cameras will be added along this stretch of I-10. The project also includes the construction of a multi-use path and a noise barrier wall near the Diamondhead exit. The project is expected to alleviate congestion in the area, increase safety for motorists and pedestrians and reduce noise in the Diamondhead area. Crews have placed barriers and delivered construction equipment. Traffic is being shifted onto the median shoulder while crews widen the outside lane to make room for permanent widening work to take place on the inside lanes. This project was one of only nine in the nation to receive a Mega grant of $60 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation in the 2022 funding cycle. The contract was awarded to Huey P. Stockstill, LLC of Picayune and is expected to be completed in 2027.Work is on schedule for a $212.6 million project to widen and create a new alignment on approximately nine miles of State Route 57 from I-10 to Vancleave. Earthwork is ongoing, and construction of a large drainage channel is underway. Nearly all box culverts included in Phase 1 of the project are now complete, and all but one of the project’s 13 bridge sites are under construction. Base and paving work is underway along West Frontage Road, a SR 57 connector road and Seaman Road. The project was awarded to W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Company of Jackson and is expected to wrap up in 2027.A safety improvement project is making progress in Forrest County on I-59. This $66.7 million project stretches 14 miles from the Lamar County line to just south of Moselle. Paving and grading work continues between Evelyn Gandy Parkway/State Route 42 (Exit 69) and U.S. 49 (Exit 67A and 67B). In Jones County, traffic has been switched to a head-to-head configuration for 0.7 miles to complete concrete removal at the southbound Leaf River bridge approaches. Crossovers are being developed between exits 69 and 67 in anticipation of a traffic switch necessary to remove concrete at the Bouie River bridge approaches. Crews are also installing edge drains in various locations. This project was awarded to Dunn Roadbuilders of Laurel and is expected to be complete in fall 2024.Work will soon begin on a project to widen U.S. 49 from four to six lanes from O’Neal Road to north of School Road. New lanes will be built within the existing median and are expected to alleviate congestion in the area and increase traffic capacity. The project will also include a continuous flow intersection at State Route 53, which will be the first of its kind in the state of Mississippi. This project is one of the eight capacity projects funded through a supplemental appropriation from the Mississippi Legislature in 2023. The $44.9 million project was awarded to Necaise Brothers of Gulfport and is expected to be completed in 2026.A $21.9 million bridge replacement project on U.S. 11 over the Hobolochitto Creek in Pearl River County is now underway. Crews are clearing the area and driving test piles. Considered Phase 2 in the reconstruction of U.S. 11 in Picayune, the bridge will be built on a new alignment, adjacent to the existing bridge and will feature a sidewalk with a concrete barrier to protect pedestrians. Phase 1 of the project wrapped up in 2022 and involved roadway reconstruction on U.S. 11 from Cayten Street to Lakeshore Drive. The project was awarded to Cotton Creek Transport of Laurel and is expected to wrap up in late 2025.A $37 million project is underway to mill and overlay I-59 from just north of the Louisiana state line to McNeill. The project also involves pier protection for bridges, new asphalt with a drainage layer, and ramp improvements. A surface layer of asphalt has been applied to both northbound lanes and the inside southbound lane. Crews are currently paving the southbound outside lane. This project was awarded to Huey P. Stockstill and is expected to be completed summer 2024.A safety improvement project on U.S. 49 is now complete in Forrest County. The project stretches from the Stone County line to South Gate Road. Only punch list items remain. This $41 million contract was awarded to T.L. Wallace Construction of Columbia.A bridge replacement project to replace the State Route 42 bridge over Tallahalla Creek is nearing completion in Perry County. Traffic has been diverted onto the new bridge, and the old bridge and roadway is being removed. This $17 million project was awarded to Cotton Creek Transport and is expected to be completed in summer 2024.