Drivers in Southwest Mississippi who travel along Veterans Boulevard can breathe a sigh of relief as work to improve the stretch of road has been completed.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation held a ribbon cutting in celebration for the work Thursday.
Those improvements, along with the repaving of Highway 51 from McComb to Magnolia and many improvements along the stretch of Interstate 55 in Pike County, are part of a $50 million construction plan.
The work includes injecting liquid foam to level out I-55’s concrete slabs between the Summit and south McComb exits, replacing a box culvert between Fernwood and Magnolia, and turning the concrete sections of I-55 between south McComb and the Magnolia-Gillsburg exits into rubble and replacing it with asphalt. Crews also are lowering the road bed one lane at a time near bridges in order to give more clearance. MDOT will also mill and overlay Highway 51 from Presley Boulevard to Magnolia.
Ken Morris, the district construction engineer for MDOT, said with the completion of Veterans Boulevard and Highway 51, the last piece of the puzzle is the completion of Interstate 55.
Morris said 11,000 people travel Veterans Boulevard daily and that number could go higher, thanks to the improvements.
Morris said Barriere Construction is working in sections to complete the I-55 work.
“They’re doing a little at a time,” he said.
Barriere and its subcontractors are working on milling and repaving between the Fernwood and Magnolia exits.
Morris said they are also repairing a box culvert in the area. He said that portion of the project should be complete in the first half of 2018. He did not give a specific date, but the project appears to be months ahead of the original October 2018 deadline.
Even with the recent unexpected snowstorm, tropical storms and even hurricanes, Barriere is still on track to finish ahead of schedule.
During the ribbon cutting, Mayor Whitney Rawlings welcomed MDOT officials including Transportation Commissioner Tom King, Barriere President and CEO Peter Wilson, Sen. Tammy Witherspoon, D-Magnolia, and other officials.
“Commissioner King, I want to thank you. You recognize a need and a necessity for these great safety projects like this and are willing to invest the state’s money into our city,” Rawlings said.
He also thanked MDOT Engineer Albert White, who Rawlings said has always been an advocate for area improvement projects.
“I certainly want to welcome Mr. Wilson and Barriere Construction. You guys finished ahead of schedule,” he said. “I was worried about Black Friday and Christmas, but you guys got out of here. Our vendors along Veterans are very pleased. It’s a great safety project for the city, but it also drives people into these shopping centers. That’s what Selectman McKenzie and I like about it, it brings more money into our city. “
White said the project was in the works before he came to District 7.
“It’s finally great to see this. It’s always good to see something complete,” he said.
Wilson said the Pike County project is the first project they’ve had in Mississippi “for quite some time.” He said the reason for the success of the project is because of the partnership between Barriere and MDOT.
Wilson also spoke about the importance of highway funding and how improving infrastructure will help the local economy.
“Projects like this, shows the importance of federal and state funding. We must work together in order to establish secure funding.”
Wilson used his own company as an example.
“The last nine months, we’ve had close to 50 employees working, living and spending their checks here in Mississippi. Our project teams have become a part of your communities,” he said. “Although, there is still work to do, this project marks a critical step in the construction and continued success in the I-55 improvements.”
