This week, crews with the Mississippi Department of Transportation began work on a 6-mile section of Highway 11 N.
The project was originally scheduled to begin after Labor Day, MDOT Public Relations Coordinator for District Six Layla Essary said.
“It’s a 6-mile paving job,” Essary said. “Work begins at Lakeshore Drive and ends at S. Apple Drive Crews will be resurfacing and paving the 6-mile stretch of roadway.”
The low bidder for the project was Huey Stockstill for $1.7 million, Essary said.
“There will be temporary lane closures during the course of this project,” she said. “However, there will be no night work and the highway won’t be shut down completely.”
The work is scheduled to be completed by December, she said.
Essary would also like to remind motorists to be mindful of MDOT workers in roadways.
Last July, 55-year-old Ricky Murrah was struck and killed by a motorist while he was cleaning debris from Highway 98 in Lucedale in George County, Essary said. George County is one of six in MDOT’s District 6.
A section of Hwy. 98 will be dedicated in his memory this September, she said. It will be named the Ricky Murrah Memorial Highway.
In a release, MDOT asks drivers to remember the effects careless or distracted driving can have on roadside workers.
“We understand that work zones, while essential for maintenance, construction and safe operation of roadways, can cause a disruption to ingrained driving routines,” MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath said in the release. “We do everything possible to alert motorists to the work zone and clearly define a safe speed and path through it; however we cannot get behind your wheel, operate your brakes and force your attention to the transportation workers laboring in heat, cold and danger for you.”
According to previous coverage, MDOT has another project planned in Picayune, which is scheduled to begin in 2017, the widening of Highway 11 and construction of a new bridge over the Hobolochitto Creek.
District 6 Construction Engineer Gabe Faggard said in previous coverage, the widening of Highway 11 will begin at the entrance to Hide-A-Way Lake and end at the bridge over Boley Creek.
The new bridge will still be two lanes, but wider and will feature a pedestrian sidewalk, Faggard said in the article. The project is estimated to take about 18 to 24 months to complete.
“As far as I know, everything is still on schedule with the widening project,” Essary said.