TUPELO, MS — The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues to proceed on projects underway to preserve and maintain highways and bridges in northeast Mississippi.The $4.8-million project to improve U.S. Highway 82 interchanges at 18th Avenue and Military Road continues in Columbus.

At the 18th Avenue Interchange, ramps were realigned and widened. Crews have completed pavement work through the intersection. Signal coordination and permanent striping remain to be completed.

At the Military Road Interchange, traffic has been reduced from four lanes to two lanes through the construction area where two new roundabouts will be built. To accommodate the roundabouts, the interchange ramps will be realigned. The westbound exit ramp will also be widened to include a new travel lane.

The interchange project was awarded to Gregory Construction Services, Inc. and is expected to be completed this spring, weather permitting.

A $21.5-million construction project to expand State Route 15 in Pontotoc County from two lanes to four stretches approximately eight miles from State Route 76 north to the Union County line. Traffic has been realigned to the newly constructed lanes through the length of the project. The intersection of State Route 346 has also been realigned.

Two-lane traffic will use the new lanes while crews continue to reconstruct the existing highway and two bridges. On the north end of the project, the Tanglefoot Trail Bridge is complete. The original bridge, which was built in 1971 over a railroad, now crosses a bike path. On the south end of the project, crews are constructing the deck of the new Lappatubby Creek Bridge, which replaces the original bridge built in 1955.

Other remaining work includes construction of a box culvert, shaping shoulders, and lane widening on the south end. The project was awarded to Talbot Brothers and estimated to be completed this summer.

A project on State Route 6 will install two new J-turns. One J-turn will be built at the intersection of Rocky Ford Road and a second at State Route 345. J-turns, or restricted crossing U-turns, are safer alternatives to typical intersections along busy multi-lane highways. J-Turns can reduce crashes related to crossing and turning left at multi-lane highway intersections.

At the State Route 345 site, crushed stone has been placed on the new outside turning lanes on both sides of the highway. At the Rocky Ford site, crushed stone has been placed on the north side of the highway. The $5.2-million project was awarded to Talbot Brothers and is slated to be completed this fall.

A separate project on State Route 9 will improve safety at the intersection of State Route 341. The $1.1-million project includes intersection widening and new turn lanes. It was awarded to Cook & Son, LLC, and is slated to begin as soon as weather permits.

Major work has been completed on a project to replace six timber pile bridges and a box culvert along State Route 145 in Prentiss County. The original structures were built in the 1940s and had weight restrictions. The new concrete bridges and box culverts will remove weight restrictions along the route.

A final lift of asphalt remains to be laid through the project site. The $12.5-million project was awarded to Talbot Brothers and is expected to be complete by summer 2020.

Elsewhere in the district, a bridge replacement project is underway in Chickasaw County. The $4.2-million project will replace bridges over Chewawah Creek and Cane Creek on State Route 389.

The bridges are being built on a new alignment, which will minimize impacts to traffic. Piles have been driven, and crews are preparing to install beams. Excessive rain has slowed the project. The site has been flooded several times in recent weeks.

The contractor is Ausbern Construction Company, Inc., and the work is expected to be completed in summer 2020.