JACKSON, MS — Officials joined Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons to celebrate the start of construction on the State Route 477/West Rankin Parkway at Pearl City Hall.
“This is a great project that has been in the works since 1992. It has had many challenges,” Simmons said at the event. “Thanks to Sen. Dean Kirby and the legislature, this is now a Mississippi Department of Transportation [MDOT] project, and we’re able to celebrate its start today thanks to the dedicated service from all local, county, and state leadership here.”
The historic project calls for the construction of a four-lane highway between U.S. 80 in Pearl and State Route 468 in Flowood, including grading, drainage, and bridge work. Once complete, it will connect the cities of Pearl and Flowood, enhancing safety and connectivity across the region.
“For over 30 years, there have been many challenges with this project. Ultimately, it came down to everyone supporting one plan, which involved Sen. Dean Kirby, his colleagues in the legislature, and a new piece of legislation that would deem this route a state highway, giving Commissioner Simmons and the Mississippi Transportation Commission the authority to add it to the MDOT capacity program so that we could take it on as a project of our own,” MDOT Executive Director Brad White said. “It is this kind of partnership that brought us here today, and it would not have happened without all of these players working together to move this forward.”
Kirby, who introduced the bill in 1992 as well as the subsequent bills to make the road a state highway, Pearl Mayor Jake Windham, Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads, and other officials joined Simmons to celebrate the start of construction. Due to rain, the groundbreaking ceremony was moved to Pearl City Hall, where officials unveiled a sign marking the start of construction.
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“This is a team effort, one of the longest I’ve seen in my career, of people working together and not giving up,” Rhoads said. “I want to thank Commissioner Simmons for his support and MDOT for taking this project over.”
The project began as a Local Public Agency project years ago. MDOT’s involvement at that time was helping administer necessary federal funds toward the local project. Later, dispersive soil was found throughout the project, forcing crews to go back and perform more dirt work, changing the overall scope of work. That contract was terminated, which allowed MDOT to re-bid a different contract that included repairs to the roadbed and ultimately move forward to the paving phase and eventually open SR 477 for travel.
“It has been a long road but today, we’re celebrating the start of this project. We’ve had the will, the team, and today, everything is coming to fruition,” Windham said. “Now, we just need a bill brought forward to name it the Dean Kirby Parkway.”
The nearly $60 million contract was awarded to Eutaw Construction Company, Inc. of Madison, Mississippi. The anticipated completion date is spring 2027.
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“This project means a lot not just to Pearl and Flowood, but all people traveling this part of our state,” Kirby said. “I am sincere when I say of all the legislation that I’ve introduced, this is one of the best bills, if not the best one. Thank you for your time and patience.”
