PICAYUNE — Mississippi Dept. of Transportation held a public hearing at the Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library on Tuesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on the four-laning and rehabilitation of a two-mile section of U.S. Highway 11 that runs through North Picayune.

A steady flow of business owners and residents walked into the library conference room to ask questions of MDOT engineers familiar with the project.

MDOT district pre-construction engineer Keith Steel said that the project will cost approximately $10 million, will be put out for bid in January 2013 and construction will probably begin in the Spring of 2013. He was on hand Tuesday telling residents and businessmen what they could expect when the project gets underway.

MDOT officials had two sets of identical maps showing the route and improvements spread out on two tables so that they could be viewed by those who dropped by. There was no formal presentation and residents came and went after being informed.

The project stretches about two miles from the north end of the bridge over East Hobolochitto Creek to Lakeshore Drive at the entrance to Hide-A-Way Lake. The plans call for four lanes with a 16-foot raised grass medium.

The route was officially described as: “The construction area will start just north of the East Hobolochitto Creek bridge, cross existing State Route 43 and end at Lakeshore Drive.” MDOT officials handed out brochures with aerial maps of the project section.

Van Vincent, an MDOT environmental location engineer, referring to a question by resident Russell Foster, said that a raised grass medium with turning lanes was selected for installation because “it is safer.”

The public hearing was also sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration.

Richardson-Ozona Road will be extended a little ways south to connect directly with the new highway exiting what will be the new Highland Community Hospital, and Farrell Street will be straightened at its east end where it connects now with U.S. Hwy. 11 in a circuitous intersection using Circle Inn and Carter streets.

The four lane will gradually merge back into two lanes after crossing Lakeshore Drive.

The MDOT brochure handed out for the project said “the re-evaluation study area indicates that there is a need for improved safety, mobility and sufficient traffic demand to warrant the four-lane reconstruction of U.S. 11.”

There was a table set up for comments, but officials said  residents also can mail comments to MDOT Environmental Division, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, Miss. 39215, or send an e-mail to “environmentalcomments@mdot.state.ms.us.”

“The project is on-going and your continued involvement and suggestions will be most appreciated,” said Vincent.

The road will have four 12-foot travel lanes, a 10-foot shoulder and a 16-foot grass covered medium.

The U.S. Hwy. 11 corridor through North Picayune, and what is known to local residents as Roseland Park Community, is one of the busiest and most congested in the city. The new project is supposed to help relieve the congestion.

It has been almost 60 years since any major rework on U.S. Hwy. 11 through Roseland Park has been undertaken by the state. In the early 1950s, when Roseland Park was considered rural route 2, the highway department relocated U.S. Hwy. 11 away from Circle Drive to its present route into North Picayune and constructed a new bridge, the current one, over East Hobolochitto Creek. It was only a two-lane road then.

At that time the city limits ended at East Hobolochitto Creek.

More recently, the highway department converted it into three lanes, with an open center lane as a turning lane.

The new project will be the third reworking of the U.S. Hwy. 11 section through Roseland Park in 60 years.