Construction begins on South Greenville, MS freeway

[The Ghostbuster]

It certainly took them long enough to complete the bypass.

[Rick Powell]

It certainly took them long enough to complete the bypass.

That was lightning speed for MS. I remember the 4-laning of US 45 where my mom grew up took 20 years, more or less.

[RoadMaster09]

It's 70 mph on the Greenville Bypass, correct?

[HemiCRZ]

It's 70 mph on the Greenville Bypass, correct?

I believe so. It is a freeway-grade route.

Makes me wonder if MDOT plans to ever upgrade the entire US 82 corridor to a freeway now considering both sides of the route coming into the state are freeway-grade roads. Recall US 82 from AL to Starkville is freeway with full shoulders, mile markers, and 70mph speed limits.

Also, now that the bypass is open, will the old route become MS 182 or will MDOT just drop the US 82 designation and allow US 278 to be the only designation through Greenville while US 82 moves to the new freeway?

[The Ghostbuster]

I expect both US 82 and US 278 would be moved to the bypass, and the former route would become a local road.

[TBKS1]

I expect both US 82 and US 278 would be moved to the bypass, and the former route would become a local road.

Yes, US 82 and 278 will be routed on the bypass. The former section through the city of Greenville will be designated as another section of MS 182. This was confirmed by @rlee on the travel mapping forum.

See this post for details.

[RoadMaster09]

I'd be adding exit numbers and mile markers as well. Other than the non-Interstate section of US 78, those don't exist anywhere in Mississippi outside their Interstates.

That would make the west MS 182 interchange Exit 2, the MS 1 interchange Exit 7, the east MS 182 interchange Exit 16 and the US 61 interchange Exit 18.

[msunat97]

The highway 82 expansion from Starkville to Winona took forever so the slow pace of this project fits

[rel4]

It's 70 mph on the Greenville Bypass, correct?

65 mph from the Mississippi River bridge to Leland where it drops to 45 mph. Shoulder is typical MDOT 4-lane standard (2 ft paved rumble stripe with gravel outside of that).

The Mississippi River bridge has a 60 mph speed limit matching the speed limit in Arkansas.

[The Ghostbuster]

Would it have been possible to have converted the portion of US 82/278 from the eastern terminus of the Greenville Bypass to US 61 to freeway standards? Quite a bit would have had to be torn down in Leland to make such a connection.

[RoadMaster09]

Would it have been possible to have converted the portion of US 82/278 from the eastern terminus of the Greenville Bypass to US 61 to freeway standards? Quite a bit would have had to be torn down in Leland to make such a connection.

It would be possible, although disruptive. It would require closing access to all those streets, reconnecting them and adding a south service road (which would probably extend to meet US 61 south of the interchange). Still, it is the best option going forward.

[sprjus4]

Disruptive, but why didn't they just extend the bypass a couple more miles to avoid that area altogether? Meet back with US-82 east of US-61 where it can continue as a 65 mph highway instead of introducing this 45 mph zone on what is otherwise a 65 mph free-flow expressway on either side. Bad design, IMO, tying in there.

[The Ghostbuster]

The bypass could have run a little further south, bypassing the neighborhood around Lake Monocnoc. The existing US 61/82/278 interchange would likely have had to been removed and moved southward. The bypass could have then reconnected with existing 82/278 between Frazier Rd. and Doolittle Rd./Taylor Rd. In the end, they probably ended it where they did because it took so long to complete the existing Greenville bypass, and it would have probably cost too much to extend it further.

[RoadMaster09]

Disruptive, but why didn't they just extend the bypass a couple more miles to avoid that area altogether? Meet back with US-82 east of US-61 where it can continue as a 65 mph highway instead of introducing this 45 mph zone on what is otherwise a 65 mph free-flow expressway on either side. Bad design, IMO, tying in there.

One issue would have been potential throw-away costs with the US 61 interchange (especially if that eventually becomes part of I-69, although the interchange would likely need some ramp lengthening, especially in the E-->N and S-->W directions as those would be the I-69 mainline).

West of Deer Creek, all the businesses could be accessed by a south-side service road extension (from the back). It is more problematic east of Deer Creek, which would otherwise be displaced. The service road would need to cross Deer Creek and probably the easiest place to connect would be Redbud Drive. A road connection between Lake Road and Pecan Street would be necessary as well to connect the area, along with a connection between Lake Road and US 61 (perhaps aligned with Old Tribbett Road) south of US 82. (Note that it drops from 4 to 2 lanes in that area on US 61, which is reasonable as that part of US 61 is not very heavily used.) A few businesses directly fronting US 82 in the eastern section would need purchasing as they would otherwise not have any access.

On the north side of US 82, the street network is such that I don't believe any homes or businesses would be displaced, although access would be inconvenient (the truck stop near the US 61 interchange would likely consider relocation) as the only place to enter would be from the interchange at MS 182 or (from US 61) well to the north (if upgraded to I-69).

Finally, I'd look at a pedestrian bridge to connect the two sides east of Deep Creek as a low cost option since it would be quite disruptive to the community. Noise mitigation walls would be necessary as well along that 8/10 mile section.

[TBKS1]

I drove the Greenville Bypass today. I took some pictures of it.

First exit looking east, MS 182 (former US 82) and MS 454 immediately after crossing the Mississippi River




US 82/278 reassurance shields after the MS 182/454 exit


Second exit, MS 1


Third exit, other end of MS 182.

[The Ghostbuster]

Google Maps still shows US 82/278 on the old route (as well as on the new route). It will probably be a while before it is updated to show the old alignment as MS 182. I look forward to utilizing the new bypass via Google Maps Street View (when that is updated as well).

[Bobby5280]

Gravel shoulders?

[I-55]

Gravel shoulders?

Unpaved shoulders are common on rural 4-lane routes in MS. I'm going to assume this and the 65 mph speed limit have some intentional correlation with one another. US 82 in the Golden Triangle and US 78 near Memphis are both 70 mph freeways with paved shoulders.

[The Ghostbuster]

Who was Anse Dees? The Greenville Bypass has the official name of the Anse Dees Memorial Bypass.

[sprjus4]

Who was Anse Dees? The Greenville Bypass has the official name of the Anse Dees Memorial Bypass.

https://www.ddtonline.com/front-page-slideshow/who-anse-dees%25E2%2580%2588-look-name-anse-dees-memorial-bypass

[RoadMaster09]

Gravel shoulders?

Unpaved shoulders are common on rural 4-lane routes in MS. I'm going to assume this and the 65 mph speed limit have some intentional correlation with one another. US 82 in the Golden Triangle and US 78 near Memphis are both 70 mph freeways with paved shoulders.

Actually, the vast majority of 4-lane roads in MS have *no* shoulders. It's rumble strips on the line, then to the grass. IMO, all of them should have full shoulders.