Mississippi

[golden eagle]

Olive Branch to move natural gas, water lines for I-269 path:

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120419/NEWS/120419005/Work-paving-way-Interstate-269-

[Alex]

Looking at the AA Gallery archives, found this oddity photographed by Alex Harris in 2000:

[Alex]

I did note construction barrels in place and some earth moving equipment to the northeast of Sangani and MS-67 last month. This work cannot come soon enough as the turn lanes into the sprawly shopping center added have destroyed the fluidity of I-110 north transitioning to MS-67 north.

Highway 67 interchange project to begin this month

$7.3 million. Work is scheduled to begin in mid-March.

The project is divided into four phases. Phase one involves construction of the permanent connector roads that will be located in the northeast and northwest quadrants of the existing intersection. Temporary traffic signals and a crossover will be installed approximately 300 feet north of the existing traffic signals.

Phase two involves raising the elevation at the intersection of Sangani Boulevard and Indian River Road (near Ruby Tuesday's restaurant).

Phase three involves constructing a new overpass bridge, which will be in the same location as the existing intersection.

Phase four involves removing the temporary signals/ crossover and work to provide final roadway grading and grassing.

Also found another article on the project which lists the timetable:

MDOT to Soon Begin Major Coast Roadwork

The project is scheduled to be completed by July 2013.

[lamsalfl]

I don't remember the number of miles but I-10 will soon be resurfaced in eastern Jackson County all the way to the Alabama State Line.  Please note that this project is scheduled to be bid on this May.

[Grzrd]

The paving contract for MS 6 from MS 342 to US 45 is scheduled to be let on March 27, and it is anticipated to be completed by October 1, 2013.  At that time, Mississippi's section of Corridor V will be completed from Batesville to MS 25 south of Fairview.  Here is the Proposal for the MS 6 paving project.

The letting was delayed a month, but on May 8, MDOT awarded an approximate $26 million paving contract from the April 24 letting for approximately eleven miles of new terrain MS 6/ Corridor V:

PONTOTOC & LEE COUNTIES - Paving Approximately 11 Miles of SR 6, From SR 342 to US 45
APAC - MISSISSIPPI, INC.
PO BOX 24508
JACKSON, MS 39225-4508
$26,063,699.50

[UptownRoadGeek]

Construction is about to kick in on I-55 between Ridgeland and Madison. Expansion to 8 lanes + feeders from Old Agency to the SPUI. Northbound will be moved to the southbound side for 2x2 config. I would post the article, but I'm mobile. MDOT hopes to start construction by mid-summer.

Is it just me or does Jackson have somewhat of an overbuilt freeway system for a city it's size? I mean traffic is relatively non existent although the people who live there complain about the little that they do see. I do feel like expansion of I-55 on the southern end of the city is long overdue, however.

[golden eagle]

Here's the story of the construction on WLBT's website. Once the lane shifts start, it's really gonna be hell going through southern Madison County.

As far as Jackson with an overbuilt freeway system...not sure what you mean. Sure, the traffic here isn't nearly like it is in bigger cities, but it's a growing area (albeit, not very rapidly). However, we do have some future projects that will contribute to some major growth here over the next 10-20 years and beyond. At least, the road projects will help stay ahead of the curve.

[UptownRoadGeek]

What I mean is that it has a lot of a freeway (particularly I-55) capacity compared to cities its size and even some bigger ones.

[golden eagle]

I won't disagree with you on that, then. Tell you what, though: when the lane shifts occur this summer, I-55 north, especially at and north of the 220 split, will be hell to deal with. Thank God I don't have to use either one to get to where I need to go!

[Alex]

Construction is about to kick in on I-55 between Ridgeland and Madison. Expansion to 8 lanes + feeders from Old Agency to the SPUI. Northbound will be moved to the southbound side for 2x2 config. I would post the article, but I'm mobile. MDOT hopes to start construction by mid-summer.

Is it just me or does Jackson have somewhat of an overbuilt freeway system for a city it's size? I mean traffic is relatively non existent although the people who live there complain about the little that they do see. I do feel like expansion of I-55 on the southern end of the city is long overdue, however.

I have noticed plenty of traffic for a metro of Jackson's size on my trips through the area, especially at the confluence of I-20/55.  Driving through on Monday, there was an accident with fire and paramedics on the scene. The backup leading east was monumental, bleeding onto the US 49 northbound flyover. Driving northward last Thursday, an accident on I-55 southbound, north of Madison crushed traffic for southbound.

The other thing that makes me irate about Jackson is again where I-20/55 merge and the quick lane changes required and lack of yielding. On two occasions over the years the car I was either driving or riding in was nearly sideswiped. Pipedream: If a side by side carriageway configuration were added to separate mainline I-20 from mainline I-55, that would be great.

[golden eagle]

I usually don't go through the Stack (our nickname for the 20/55 merge) unless I'm going out to visit the gf, but even then, I can take a back way to get there. It also doesn't help that there's a construction project to widen I-20 out to Brandon.

There is a lack of east-west roads that connects Jackson to Rankin County. I-20, US 80 and MS 25 (Lakeland Drive) are the main roads that cross to and from the aforementioned locations. All of them are high-traffic areas, though 80 isn't nearly as crowded as the others.

[brownpelican]

Is it just me or does Jackson have somewhat of an overbuilt freeway system for a city it's size? I mean traffic is relatively non existent although the people who live there complain about the little that they do see. I do feel like expansion of I-55 on the southern end of the city is long overdue, however.

I thought they would be doing that by now, but instead, they did a repaving of the road.

[golden eagle]

I believe eventually, they'll need to revisit widening I-55 south. We do have some growth to the south (though not as much as Madison or Rankin County). But it still carries a good amount of traffic.

[sr641]

Mississippi should make US 49 a freeway from Jackson - Gulfport.

[golden eagle]

There had been some small talk about an interstate running from Jackson to the Gulf Coast that would run parallel with 49. I doubt I'll see it in my lifetime. I wonder if it would be cheaper to build it or convert 49 to a freeway.

[Ace10]

US 49 from Jackson to Gulfport (except for Hattiesburg) is pretty much very rural Mississippi. But then there's not a lot of traffic in those rural areas, so I don't see too much of a need to build a freeway just for the hell of it. There's the US 98 + I-59 bypass/"half-beltway" around Hattiesburg, which is a freeway for just a few miles for people to get around Hattiesburg, and that's really the only place I could justify building one in the first place.

I thought the same thing about MDOT making MS 67 a freeway from I-110 to US 49 (or hell, extend I-110) but traffic along MS 67 really is sparse to were it feels like a freeway, but isn't.

[Alex]

US 49 from Jackson to Gulfport (except for Hattiesburg) is pretty much very rural Mississippi. But then there's not a lot of traffic in those rural areas, so I don't see too much of a need to build a freeway just for the hell of it. There's the US 98 + I-59 bypass/"half-beltway" around Hattiesburg, which is a freeway for just a few miles for people to get around Hattiesburg, and that's really the only place I could justify building one in the first place.

I thought the same thing about MDOT making MS 67 a freeway from I-110 to US 49 (or hell, extend I-110) but traffic along MS 67 really is sparse to were it feels like a freeway, but isn't.

There was a plan to build a freeway north from Gulfport along the US 49 corridor, but it has not gotten much attention in recent years and likely is not something that will happen anytime soon. A 2004 news article from the Biloxi Sun-Herald went as far as touting a 2011 completion of it to Wiggns from Gulfport...

As for US 49 between Jackson and Hattiesburg, the 65 mph speed limit is great, but the addition of two traffic lights surrounding the US 84 interchange interrupts the flow badly, and even worse, both sets of signals utilize split-phase timing (which most of them on US 49 do anyway). 

[golden eagle]

At one time, the only traffic signals on US 49 between Florence and Hattiesburg were in Magee. Since then, many more traffic signals have been set up.

[Alex]

At one time, the only traffic signals on US 49 between Florence and Hattiesburg were in Magee. Since then, many more traffic signals have been set up.

That number is up to 17 as of Monday.

[brownpelican]

At one time, the only traffic signals on US 49 between Florence and Hattiesburg were in Magee. Since then, many more traffic signals have been set up.

Yeah. Thanks Florence and Richland.

[Alex]

At one time, the only traffic signals on US 49 between Florence and Hattiesburg were in Magee. Since then, many more traffic signals have been set up.

Yeah. Thanks Florence and Richland.

And once south of those two cities, US 49 traffic breaks up and gets to 65 mph. I like the brief freewayization of US 49 leading into I-20, when was that completed? First drove it in November of 2008. Looks like south of there, additional development has made the prospects of improving the roadway cost prohibitive.

[golden eagle]

Not sure when the "freeway" through Richland was complete, but it was in the not-too-distant past. You're right, there isn't much that can be done about turning 49 into a freeway through Richland and Florence. Heck, there isn't even any room to expand it to more lanes. Well, you could, but look at the cost of buying right-of-ways...that ain't happenin'! The only way to solve this problem is to build a bypass or loop through the southern metro area.

[froggie]

US 49 from Jackson to Gulfport (except for Hattiesburg) is pretty much very rural Mississippi. But then there's not a lot of traffic in those rural areas, so I don't see too much of a need to build a freeway just for the hell of it. There's the US 98 + I-59 bypass/"half-beltway" around Hattiesburg, which is a freeway for just a few miles for people to get around Hattiesburg, and that's really the only place I could justify building one in the first place.

Believe it or not, US 49 gets a fair bit of traffic, especially between Jackson and Hattiesburg.  It's enough to warrant 4 lanes, and there are a few locations that could warrant a freeway section today:  through North Gulfport (which in part drove a study about 5-6 years ago mentioned earlier by Alex), north of I-59 near Hattiesburg, and through Rankin County.

Not sure when the "freeway" through Richland was complete, but it was in the not-too-distant past.

Mid-2000s.  Don't remember exactly when but it was done before 2006.  Was under construction when I left Mississippi in 2001.

[Ace10]

As far as Gulfport goes, the new I-310 should take care of the big bottlenecks on US 49 - at least those south of I-10. It would be REALLY nice if MDOT built I-310 to tie into US 49 a little further north, like near MS 53 or MS 67 where the Gulfport traffic thins out and US 49 becomes more rural.

I took a trip to/from Gulfport and Jackson and the traffic wasn't too bad from my experience, but if it can interrupt the free flow as you guys mentioned above, I could see a justification for building a freeway or at least a freeway bypass (like US 98/I-59 around Hattiesburg) around the towns.

[froggie]

As far as Gulfport goes, the new I-310 should take care of the big bottlenecks on US 49 - at least those south of I-10. It would be REALLY nice if MDOT built I-310 to tie into US 49 a little further north, like near MS 53 or MS 67 where the Gulfport traffic thins out and US 49 becomes more rural.

That was the gist of what Alex posted about on Friday.  An extension of the MS 601 freeway north of I-10 and tying into US 49 near Wiggins was studied about 5 years ago.  Unfortunately, the study is no longer on MDOT's (poorly redesigned) website.

It should also be noted that "I-310" is not official.  MDOT planning documents and maps mark it as MS 601.  It certainly COULD become an Interstate if built to Interstate standard (which will depend on the touchdown into the port).  But aside from some theoretical I-310 mentions here and there, it's not officially called that yet.