Corridor V

[Grzrd]

This article reports that ... the new MS 6 will not open to traffic until Monday, July 21, at the earliest

This TV video reports that the new MS 6 will open to traffic on Thursday, July 24, but it also reports that the Mississippi Highway Troopers are "on edge" that drivers wil ignore stop signs at intersections:

Construction on the new Highway 6 is almost complete.
On Monday, crews continued putting a few final touches on the new stretch of road, which they plan to open to drivers on Thursday.
But Mississippi Highway Troopers are on edge about opening the highway.
For years, people living along Highway 6 had never had to worry stopping at a stop sign, but come Thursday, they'll have to ....
It even has the Mississippi Highway Patrol on edge.
"We all get in routines of life, and in that routing of life when it's changed, sometimes we forget about the change," said MHP Troop F Public Information Officer Ray Hall. "In this case, it could be deadly if you do forget about the change."
Hall said they're taking some measures to warn people, like having officers direct traffic.
"Obviously, with the man power, we won't be able to do that all the time," Hall said.

[Grzrd]

This TV video reports that the new MS 6 will open to traffic on Thursday, July 24

This article includes two photos and reports that the new section of MS 6 opened to traffic on July 24:

The final segment of new Mississippi Highway 6/U.S. 278 opened at 11 a.m. Thursday, with traffic immediately flowing steadily on the four-lane route connecting U.S. 45 in south Tupelo with Interstate 55 at Batesville ....
On Highway 6, as that new route likely will be known, heavy trucks immediately were seen hauling commercial goods as Mississippi Department of Transportation employees added final touches like new highway signs, roadside spraying and a check of safety striping.

NE2 recently posted, in another thread, that the recently let AL 24 section has a projected completion date of summer 2016

Now begins a two-year wait until another section of Corridor V opens .....

[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.

[NE2]

Looks like the new MS 9 is a better route for Corridor V traffic.

[lordsutch]

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.

There is a plan to extend the expressway east to existing MS 6 (this extension is technically not part of Corridor V, I think) to improve access to Plantersville, but that doesn't explain the angled arrow on the sign unless they plan to patch it with a down arrow in the future. It's also possible MDOT and ALDOT is considering a more direct routing of US 278 when/if US 78 is decommissioned.

It's also possible they screwed up the sign, since there's no logical reason to route US 278 back onto MS 6 just to get down to Amory. The existing multiplex with US 45 is more direct and built to a higher standard.

MS 9 (which was the original routing of Corridor V) is probably still the preferable route if you're headed to I-22 or planning to follow incomplete Corridor V to Huntsville, but US 278 is a definite win if you're headed to Starkville or Columbus, to the extent one being headed to Starkville can be considered a "win" at least.

[codyg1985]

It's also possible MDOT and ALDOT is considering a more direct routing of US 278 when/if US 78 is decommissioned.

I would certainly hope so. The routing of US 278 between Hamilton and Tupelo makes little sense.

[Grzrd]

After recent discussion about Corridor V in another thread, I emailed MDOT and asked them if they had a timeline to complete Corridor V.  MDOT's reply:

The design is complete, however the project is not in our 5-year plan for construction.

The Status of ADHS Corridors in Mississippi as of Sept. 30, 2014 has been posted and, not surprisingly given MDOT's money crunch, it does not reflect any new developments:

Projects currently under way on Corridor V in Mississippi include:
- Design and ROW acquisition have been competed on the section between Fairview (at SR 25) and SR 23. Construction has not been programmed.

Time for a money fairy?

The Sept. 2013 ADHS Completion Plan Report indicates that the 2.5 miles of construction had been planned to be completed in December 2013

The Sept. 30, 2014 report for Tennessee indicates that the 2.5 miles in Tennessee is "remaining stage construction":

Corridor V runs from the Alabama State line near South Pittsburg to I-24 at Kimball. The total length of the corridor is 3.8 miles.
Authorized for ADHS Funding 3.8 miles
All Eligible Work Complete 1.3 miles
Remaining Stage Construction 2.5 miles

[codyg1985]

I'm sure the TDOT portion of Corridor V is really low on the totem pole now that the I-24/US 72 interchange revamp is finished.

[Grzrd]

Note however that Hillary Clinton, at least, has promised that she will restore a dedicated ARC funding stream if elected (whether she can deliver on this promise, of course, is a completely open question given that Congress has the power of the purse, not the president). If that happens, I'd imagine projects on the slow or back burner like the remainder of Corridor V (and maybe even the Interstate upgrade for the Batesville-Tupelo section - I'm not sure how that would interact with the 100% federal funding rule) ... will get renewed attention.

(above quote from Birmingham Northern Beltline (I-422, I-959) thread)

Interstate upgrade for the Batesville-Tupelo section

Has this been suggested/proposed?

See high priority corridor 42 on this list: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/high_priority_corridors/hpcfitext.cfm

(above quote from Birmingham Northern Beltline (I-422, I-959) thread)

The Batesville-Tupelo section of ARC Corridor V Future Interstate currently has termini at I-55 and I-22. If the ARC corridors somehow do receive dedicated funding in the near future, then it might be worth investigating a westward extension of Corridor V to Clarksdale and a terminus at Future I-69. Here is a snip from a map of the unfunded (abandoned?) Delta Development Highway System, which includes the Batesville-Clarksdale corridor (p. 15/82 of pdf):

 

Doing so would help create an alternative Shreveport - Birmingham interstate corridor.  It might be worth a try if the dedicated funding becomes a reality.

This article:

Dexter Muller, a senior advisor for the Greater Memphis Chamber ....
TDOT's Shelby backlog is dwarfed by an estimated $1.5 billion pricetag of a third Mississippi River bridge ...
"That's not a project the state should have to fund,"  Muller said, noting that the nation would suffer a massive economic loss if Memphis area bridges were knocked out by a calamity like an earthquake.

He's right. In fact,  there needs to be two. Arkansas should be screaming for two as well because that would create a loop of Memphis that included Arkansas ....

(above two quotes from Southern Gateway Project: New Memphis Mississippi River Bridge thread)

A variation on Wayward Memphian's idea for two more Memphis bridges would be, in addition to a third Memphis bridge, to incorporate an interstate-grade Batesville-Tupelo section of Corridor V into a southern bypass of Memphis by having it connect to the Brinkley to Batesville Highway Corridor.  Here is snip of how one of the alternatives would connect to Batesville (p. 2/10 of pdf):



This "southern bypass" would be similar to I-49 South possibly serving as a southern bypass of Baton Rouge.

Collectively, much of the above is a pipe dream, but it provides a possible future for Batesville playing an important part, in addition to the I-55 corridor, of a Clarksdale-Tupelo Corridor V I-xx corridor that would be part of a greater Shreveport-Birmingham interstate corridor, and a Brinkley-Tupelo southern bypass of Memphis that would include an interstate-grade Corridor V.

[froggie]

I find the concept of a potential Interstate along Corridor V highly curious, not to mention highly political.  Consider that, earlier this year, MDOT pulled the plug on a potential Batesville bypass for MS 6 because they concluded that traffic volumes on MS 6 just didn't warrant the expenditure...

[Wayward Memphian]

Note however that Hillary Clinton, at least, has promised that she will restore a dedicated ARC funding stream if elected (whether she can deliver on this promise, of course, is a completely open question given that Congress has the power of the purse, not the president). If that happens, I'd imagine projects on the slow or back burner like the remainder of Corridor V (and maybe even the Interstate upgrade for the Batesville-Tupelo section - I'm not sure how that would interact with the 100% federal funding rule) ... will get renewed attention.

(above quote from Birmingham Northern Beltline (I-422, I-959) thread)

Interstate upgrade for the Batesville-Tupelo section

Has this been suggested/proposed?

See high priority corridor 42 on this list: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/high_priority_corridors/hpcfitext.cfm

(above quote from Birmingham Northern Beltline (I-422, I-959) thread)

The Batesville-Tupelo section of ARC Corridor V Future Interstate currently has termini at I-55 and I-22. If the ARC corridors somehow do receive dedicated funding in the near future, then it might be worth investigating a westward extension of Corridor V to Clarksdale and a terminus at Future I-69. Here is a snip from a map of the unfunded (abandoned?) Delta Development Highway System, which includes the Batesville-Clarksdale corridor (p. 15/82 of pdf):

 

Doing so would help create an alternative Shreveport - Birmingham interstate corridor.  It might be worth a try if the dedicated funding becomes a reality.

This article:

Dexter Muller, a senior advisor for the Greater Memphis Chamber ....
TDOT's Shelby backlog is dwarfed by an estimated $1.5 billion pricetag of a third Mississippi River bridge ...
"That's not a project the state should have to fund,"  Muller said, noting that the nation would suffer a massive economic loss if Memphis area bridges were knocked out by a calamity like an earthquake.

He's right. In fact,  there needs to be two. Arkansas should be screaming for two as well because that would create a loop of Memphis that included Arkansas ....

(above two quotes from Southern Gateway Project: New Memphis Mississippi River Bridge thread)

A variation on Wayward Memphian's idea for two more Memphis bridges would be, in addition to a third Memphis bridge, to incorporate an interstate-grade Batesville-Tupelo section of Corridor V into a southern bypass of Memphis by having it connect to the Brinkley to Batesville Highway Corridor.  Here is snip of how one of the alternatives would connect to Batesville (p. 2/10 of pdf):



This "southern bypass" would be similar to I-49 South possibly serving as a southern bypass of Baton Rouge.

Collectively, much of the above is a pipe dream, but it provides a possible future for Batesville playing an important part, in addition to the I-55 corridor, of a Clarksdale-Tupelo Corridor V I-xx corridor that would be part of a greater Shreveport-Birmingham interstate corridor, and a Brinkley-Tupelo southern bypass of Memphis that would include an interstate-grade Corridor V.

I get what you are saying. I think it's a great idea. I think it's too far south for it to be an effective loop of Memphis by incorporating Arkansas. It would also require a new bridge at Helena as US49 is only two lanes. The reason I would like to see at least the Southern Gateway bridge that would basically connects the US 70/US 79 intersection to the area where I-69 ends at this point in Tunica and here's why:

Lots of land for development

Would connect North Miss /South Memphis DCs with the intermodal facility in Marion while relieving some burden and promote more growth on the Arkansas side

New bridge to help assure movement of goods in case of bridge failures up stream from seismic activity, an insurance policy as it would provide alternate routing to I-55 and I-40 on the eastern side of the eiver.

Relieve traffic pressure in Memphis Proper and localize it more.

Also, what about the Ark 1 4 lane divided that runs south of Forrest City toward Helena till it ends around where it would cross the St. Francis River and never reaching US 49 as a 4 lane. You could complete the 4 lane connection to I-40 to the west of Forrest City and to US 49 and this Corridor V to Brinkley.  It would basically give Arkansas a mirror of I-69 on the Mississippi Side.

I don't think the rest of the country understands how exposed this massive goods corridor is to The New Madrid and it's paltry amount of bridges.  An 1812 sized shake would basically seal off crossing from St Louis to Greenville. That's rail as well.

Crazy idea, See that little nipple just west of I-69 in Tunica that's Arkansas land on the east side of the River thanks to course changes before the COE's attempt to control the river. Arkansas could build a toll bridge over the Mississippi since it's Arkansas on both sides. The eastern side was a sporting gun facility of the now shut down Harrah's/Grand Casino.

[Grzrd]

Brinkley to Batesville Highway Corridor

.. what about the Ark 1 4 lane divided that runs south of Forrest City toward Helena till it ends around where it would cross the St. Francis River and never reaching US 49 as a 4 lane. You could complete the 4 lane connection to I-40 to the west of Forrest City and to US 49 and this Corridor V to Brinkley.  It would basically give Arkansas a mirror of I-69 on the Mississippi Side.

Here is a snip from one of the maps included in the study of a proposed corridor that uses AR 1 to Forrest City:



The study concluded that this corridor would create jobs and economic opportunities, but that it would have a minimal diversion of traffic from I-40 (p. 7/10 of pdf).

[Wayward Memphian]

Brinkley to Batesville Highway Corridor

.. what about the Ark 1 4 lane divided that runs south of Forrest City toward Helena till it ends around where it would cross the St. Francis River and never reaching US 49 as a 4 lane. You could complete the 4 lane connection to I-40 to the west of Forrest City and to US 49 and this Corridor V to Brinkley.  It would basically give Arkansas a mirror of I-69 on the Mississippi Side.

Here is a snip from one of the maps included in the study of a proposed corridor that uses AR 1 to Forrest City:



The study concluded that this corridor would create jobs and economic opportunities, but that it would have a minimal diversion of traffic from I-40 (p. 7/10 of pdf).

Extend it to Jonesboro and a potential southern bypass that would connect AR 226 and I-555/US 63.

[codyg1985]

I like the idea of the Southern Gateway a lot more than extending Corridor V in this manner. However, I don't think those are mutually exclusive.

[Alex]

Noted construction at the west end of Mississippi Highway 76 at MS 23 last Thursday.

Mississippi DOT Starts Work on Highway Construction Project

The Mississippi Department of Transportation recently began a construction project to extend state Route 76 as part of a regional highway development effort.

Specifically, the project will add 9 miles to state Route 76 in Itawamba County, which lies in the northeast part of the state. The extension will create a link between state routes 23 and 25. SR 23 connects with SR 76, which stretches into Mississippi for less than 3 miles before it changes designation at the Alabama border.

Although short, SR 76 makes up part of the Appalachian Development Highway System in Mississippi

MDOT's project is meant to complete the final portion of Corridor V, a section of the Appalachian Development Highway System that runs from Batesville, Miss., to Marion County, Tenn., which is just west of Chattanooga.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Although the majority of construction work will take place away from existing roads, MDOT still cautions drivers to be alert for highway workers and equipment.

The $81 million extension project was supported in part by a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant of $52.4 million. Smith noted that constructing roads in mountainous areas is expensive and requires certain environmental processes, such as dodging wetlands and maintaining the safety of endangered species.

[I-55]

Noted construction at the west end of Mississippi Highway 76 at MS 23 last Thursday.

Mississippi DOT Starts Work on Highway Construction Project

The Mississippi Department of Transportation recently began a construction project to extend state Route 76 as part of a regional highway development effort.

Specifically, the project will add 9 miles to state Route 76 in Itawamba County, which lies in the northeast part of the state. The extension will create a link between state routes 23 and 25. SR 23 connects with SR 76, which stretches into Mississippi for less than 3 miles before it changes designation at the Alabama border.

Although short, SR 76 makes up part of the Appalachian Development Highway System in Mississippi

MDOT's project is meant to complete the final portion of Corridor V, a section of the Appalachian Development Highway System that runs from Batesville, Miss., to Marion County, Tenn., which is just west of Chattanooga.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Although the majority of construction work will take place away from existing roads, MDOT still cautions drivers to be alert for highway workers and equipment.

The $81 million extension project was supported in part by a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant of $52.4 million. Smith noted that constructing roads in mountainous areas is expensive and requires certain environmental processes, such as dodging wetlands and maintaining the safety of endangered species.

It's finally happening!