Road work in Pike County should be more consistent with the addition of a second crew that’s coming in to help complete $10 million worth of projects, supervisors learned Tuesday.
Garrett Smith of Neel-Schaffer Engineering said contractor Dickerson & Bowen had some equipment go down last week, causing some delays. But a second crew is supposed to arrive next week and will remain in the county until the work is completed.
“If that happens, then we should see a lot of headway through the end of this year,” he said.
The cost of the work is being split among federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and financing that’s being repaid with internet sales tax revenues.
Subcontractor Southern Paving of Laurel has been hired to pick up some of the work, Smith said.
“They’re very experienced and we’ve been very pleased with the work that they’ve done so far,” he said.
Board president Lee Fortenberry concurred. “They do a good job. They’ve got good equipment. It’s as smooth as ice.”
In other road and bridge news, Smith said final plans have been submitted to State Aid officials for the D.P. Guy Road bridge replacement, and the county must procure rights-of-way.
“A lot of times that can be a hold up if people don’t want to sign,” Fortenberry said.
“I’m hoping it’s not going to be an issue,” Smith said, adding that not much land is needed.
Supervisors voted to pay Neel-Schaffer’s July invoices, $7,149 for the ARPA paving project and $20,550 for work on the D.P. Guy Road bridge.
Supervisors also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Mississippi Department of Transportation that gets work moving on bridge replacement projects on State Line and Summit-Holmesville roads.
Smith said that should put bid openings in early October, the awarding of contracts by mid-October and construction starting before the end of the year.
“I’ll definitely make a motion,” said Fortenberry, whose district includes the State Line Road bridge. “That’s nine years that we’ve been without that bridge. I’ve gotten a lot of calls on that bridge. It’s been out fir a long time.”
Supervisor Tazwell Bowsky noted that maintenance of State Line Road is split between the county and Tangipahoa Parish, La., and he suggested having the same agreement in place for County Line Road.
“That road is in pretty bad shape,” Bowsky said. “Talk to Amite County and see what they would like to do, but I know we would like to do something.”
And in another transpotation matter, the board agreed to apply for a $12,500 Federal Aviation Administration grant to help pay for the construction of T-hangars at the McComb-Pike County Airport. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to another $800,000 MDOT grant plus $200,000 each from the county and the city to pay for the hangars.
