The Mississippi Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday that it will begin reconstructing part of Highway 43 North in the coming months.
The project will eliminate three curves on a 2.5-mile stretch of the highway between Picayune and Henleyfield in an effort to increase safety on the roadway, MDOT District Engineer Kelly Castleberry said in an emailed statement.
The $4.9 million project was awarded to Huey P. Stockstill, LLC in Picayune, an MDOT press release states.
The highway will be realigned at certain areas to reduce the degree of curvature, Castleberry said.
The road will continue to be open to traffic during construction, but the work will entail reduced speeds for motorists traveling through work zones. The project should be complete by the summer or fall of 2018, Castleberry said.
While the work on Highway 43 was the only MDOT project listed on the District 6 agenda for Pearl River County in the coming months, plans to widen Highway 11 in Picayune have been rescheduled to 2018.
“The Highway 11 widening project (including the bridge) will greatly help reduce the congestion Picayune is experiencing on this segment of roadway,” Castleberry said.
With the growth the area has experienced since the opening of Highland Community Hospital—and most recently Highland Parkway—access will be altered to make entrance onto Highway 11 safer, she said.
“Once complete, the project will allow motorists to spend less time waiting in traffic and will allow turn movements that do not impede motorists located behind the turning vehicle,” Castleberry said. “It will also upgrade highway drainage and allow safe pedestrian access across the bridge.”
Construction is slated to begin in early 2018, with the bridge project beginning in early 2019, depending on funding, Castleberry said.
“Both projects will greatly improve safety, efficiency and mobility throughout this region to further help preserve and maintain both important thoroughfares,” Southern District Transportation Commissioner Tom King said in an emailed statement.
Right now, the widening of Highway 11 and replacement of the bridge are on the MDOT’s unfunded highway projects list. There are a total of 13 projects in Pearl River County on that list.
“The traveling public is advised to be alert for roadside workers throughout the duration of these projects to allow crews to safely complete the work,” King said.
Updated information about MDOT projects can be found at www.MDOTtraffic.com, or on the MDOT Traffic mobile app or by dialing 511.