Mississippi

[froggie]

Highway 49 needs widening badly between Jackson and Florence.

Currently planned for 2016.

[golden eagle]

Are they going to widen the existing lanes, or build a bypass?

[lordsutch]

Are they going to widen the existing lanes, or build a bypass?

Widening I believe. There's a plan to build a bypass to connect to I-20 at MS 475 near the airport, but that's all pie-in-the-sky as part of the long-term plan to upgrade US 49 to the coast to freeway standards. (Plus I can't see Thad spending a lot of political capital helping that part of the state after the giant middle-finger he got from the GOP base down that way. Better news for I-69 fans though.)

[golden eagle]

I mentioned in other threads before that there was a plan to do such an upgrade, and/or build an interstate from Jackson to the coast. Even if an upgrade is done, what happens to 49 through Hattiesburg? Does it get re-routed to duplex I-59 and US 98? Uprgrading through Hattiesburg would seem very expensive.

[froggie]

MDOT's Vision 21 map suggests that 49 would not be upgraded through Hattiesburg for any potential Jackson-Gulfport Interstate.  Instead, it would either follow a western loop from US 59/MS 42 south and east to I-59/US 98 East, or would be rerouted onto I-59 and follow a northern loop leg from US 59/MS 42 east to I-59 in the general vicinity of Exit 73.

[berberry]

I'd love to see US-49 widened from I-20 to Florence, and I know that Froggie is correct about 2015 because I've seen that date in older news releases, but I don't see any funding for the project as MDOT has stated publicly, and more recently, that under current funding realities they are now focused on maintaining currrent roadway capacities, not expanding them.

A few years ago, I believed the more realistic proposals were for additional lanes and some expansion of the service roads, perhaps with the addition of a diamond interchange or two. Thus, a true expressway, but not a freeway. If a true Jackson-to-Gulfport freeway is ever built, I don't think it will use this segment of 49, nor the one through Hattiesburg.

[golden eagle]

It'll be interesting in seeing how MDOT will be able to widen 49 through Richland. South Richland and Florence may be OK since there's not as much development, but from stretch from Old Hwy. 49 to Richland High School will be quite a challenge. Tell you what: I don't wanna be anywhere near that area when that project starts.

[codyg1985]

I could have sworn there was a topic on Corridor V through Mississippi and Alabama, but I can't find it.

I drove on the new section of US 278/MS 6 in Tupelo on my way back from Jackson today. The BGS at the intersection of US 45 is rather interesting:



I guess the ultimate plan is to build a new expressway east from Tupelo to a point north of Amory, and it will carry US 278, and maybe MS 6.

[Grzrd]

I could have sworn there was a topic on Corridor V through Mississippi and Alabama, but I can't find it.

It was moved to the Mid-South board as part of the northern Mississippi move to the Mid-South a few months ago:

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=11038.0

[Alex]

A new on-ramp opens from D'Iberville Boulevard (former Old MS-67) onto I-10 westbound. The rest of the ramps open by spring or late next year.

MDOT to open portion of new interchange at I-10 and I-110 in D'Iberville on Tuesday

The Mississippi Department of Transportation will open a section of the new interchange at I-10 and I-110 on Tuesday, making I-10 westbound accessible by ramp from D'Iberville Boulevard.

Motorists traveling D'Iberville Boulevard south to I-10 west will be the only motion opening to traffic at this time as the remainder of the interchange is still under construction.

The remainder of the D'Iberville Boulevard Interchange at I-10 is scheduled to be opened by the spring of next year.  The entire project, including the new Lamey Bridge Interchange at I-10 and Big Ridge Road Interchange at I-110, will be completed by the fall of 2015.           

The "diverging diamond" interchange design at D'Iberville will be the first of its kind in the state, aimed at reducing delays for motorists who are crossing and entering the interstate.

[formulanone]

Removal of state highway signs was not done in a timely manner way back when.  There are (were?) still some old colored US and triangle state highway signs in downtown Greenwood as of a few years ago.

"Were". I think one set for 49E/82 remains on a side street, but the 3-sign assembly disappeared sometime in 2008 or 2009.

I was in Greenwood today to see the other set of colored shields, and they're gone too; replaced with 1970-spec signage. (Street View still shows them up.) The green BUSINESS banner from the example posted is still standing all by its lonesome, though.

[Grzrd]

I wondered why the MDOT website had neither a 2013 map nor a 2014 map ... to make a long story short, a 2013-2014 map is currently available in hard copy, but they are having difficulty loading it onto the website (they tried to load it on August 20 and are currently projecting that it will be loaded in January, 2015).

(above quote from I-69 in MS thread)

This MDOT News Release announces that the 2014-15 map is now available in hard copy, but as far as I can tell, neither it nor the 2013-14 map is available online.

[Grzrd]

^ MDOT has posted the 2014-15 Statewide Map.

[cjk374]

^ MDOT has posted the 2014-15 Statewide Map.

I find it interesting that Mississippi still refers to Canadian National's trackage as ICRR.  Also I see that the Kosciusko Southwestern RR has MDOT in parentheses next to their trackage.  I didn't know they owned or controlled any trackage.

[NE2]

I find it interesting that Mississippi still refers to Canadian National's trackage as ICRR.

Officially it still is. Often it's shown as CN/IC.

Also I see that the Kosciusko Southwestern RR has MDOT in parentheses next to their trackage.  I didn't know they owned or controlled any trackage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosciusko_and_Southwestern_Railway

The 21.66 mile railroad line was purchased from the Illinois Central Railroad by the Mississippi Department of Transportation and leased to the Kosciusko & Southwestern Railway.

[golden eagle]

Yazoo clay slows down I-55 construction in south Jackson:

http://m.wapt.com/news/clay-could-slow-i55-construction-south-of-jackson/30979088

[codyg1985]

Yazoo clay slows down I-55 construction in south Jackson:

http://m.wapt.com/news/clay-could-slow-i55-construction-south-of-jackson/30979088

They say they didn't about the Yazoo clay beforehand. Isn't that what soil borings and a geotechnical investigation are for?  Surely MDOT and the A/E weren't too cheap to have one of those done.

[UptownRoadGeek]

Yazoo clay slows down I-55 construction in south Jackson:

http://m.wapt.com/news/clay-could-slow-i55-construction-south-of-jackson/30979088

They say they didn't about the Yazoo clay beforehand. Isn't that what soil borings and a geotechnical investigation are for?  Surely MDOT and the A/E weren't too cheap to have one of those done.

Exactly. It seems that their excuse is that they didn't know that the original contractor left the clay that was originally excavated inside of the ROW after they were done, however one would think that compaction, settlement, and constantly increasing live load on the adjacent freeway over a 30+ year period would negate any original geotech work.

[mcdonaat]

Drove down US 98 last weekend, and noticed how lightly used it was between McComb and Columbia. There was slight construction going on between MS 35 and MS 13 on US 98, but I assumed those were normal bridge replacements.

If anyone could give me an idea, non-road related, but what's the deal with dry counties not allowing the transportation of alcohol? Someone at a gas station told me that the private possession of alcohol in Pearl River County is illegal, but the county seat (Poplarville) is wet. How do you get alcohol into the county if you can't transport it across county lines?

[froggie]

Someone at a gas station told me that the private possession of alcohol in Pearl River County is illegal, but the county seat (Poplarville) is wet. How do you get alcohol into the county if you can't transport it across county lines?

Unless things have changed since I lived in Picayune in 2008 (also a wet city within Pearl River County), you can buy beer and light spirits (don't remember if wine was sold or not) at stores located within Poplarville and Picayune, but you are not supposed to transport it.  Not that it's really enforced as long as you aren't stupid.

[berberry]

Someone at a gas station told me that the private possession of alcohol in Pearl River County is illegal, but the county seat (Poplarville) is wet. How do you get alcohol into the county if you can't transport it across county lines?

Unless things have changed since I lived in Picayune in 2008 (also a wet city within Pearl River County), you can buy beer and light spirits (don't remember if wine was sold or not) at stores located within Poplarville and Picayune, but you are not supposed to transport it.  Not that it's really enforced as long as you aren't stupid.

I don't think it can be enforced, so long as you keep your receipts and you do nothing at all to change the packaging. I've listened to lawyers argue about this among themselves. They seem to agree that you can't be charged with transporting unless it can be shown you intended to do something else illegal with it. Some say you should not so much as move your beer from one shopping bag to another before you get it home. Certainly don't open any, nor should you put the beer in a cooler with ice. Just leave it in its shopping bag and take it home, and you can't be prosecuted.

[brownpelican]

I can't wrap my head around it either...and I live across the state line from Pearl River County. I just get my alcohol in Bogalusa if I'm headed that way.

[cjk374]

I have a question about the little green number signs attached to the bridges on the interstates. Take a look at this goog image: https://www.google.com/maps/@31.863701,-90.412457,3a,37.5y,203.77h,84.68t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sUtDw7GlCDzpgBMfd6AgcTg!2e0

As you can see, if the green number marker on the bridge is suppose to be related to the milepost, it is a whole mile off.  I was like that all up and down I-20 as well...the numbers don't match the mileposts.  What are these numbers?

[codyg1985]

I think they are supposed to be based on the mileposts, but that is an interesting observation that they are off by one mile. Districts 3 and 5 (which include Vicksburg and the Jackson metro, respectively) like the green signs, while District 1 (the northeast part of the state including the Golden Triangle and Tupelo) likes stenciling red text on the bridges.

[cjk374]

I think they are supposed to be based on the mileposts, but that is an interesting observation that they are off by one mile. Districts 3 and 5 (which include Vicksburg and the Jackson metro, respectively) like the green signs, while District 1 (the northeast part of the state including the Golden Triangle and Tupelo) likes stenciling red text on the bridges.

The sign/milepost difference isn't always off by an even mile.  Some of the ones on I-20 that I saw yesterday were off by several tenths of a mile.  The one I posted was the best one I could remember off the top of my head.