News Release

Commissioner Mike Taggart, Northern Transportation District, has announced updates to several Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge maintenance projects in Northwest Mississippi.

A project to preserve bridges along I-55 from Batesville to Hernando was awarded in March to Gibson & Associates, Inc., of Balch Springs, Tex.

The $15.9 million project covers 18 bridges at nine locations in Tate, Panola and DeSoto counties. The scope of work on both the northbound and southbound bridges in each location includes hydrodemolition and bridge deck concrete replacement; repair and replace guardrails; repair spalls and cracks; mill and overlay designated areas; and repairs and erosion control along slopes.

The locations are Slocum Road in DeSoto County; State Route 4 and Shands Bottom Road, both in Tate County; and Compress Road, State Route 310, State Route 315, Belmont Road, River Road and Tallahatchie Relief Bridge, all in Panola County.

The project will begin this summer and is expected to be completed in winter 2020.

Work zones present new traffic patterns and configurations that may be unfamiliar to motorists.

A project to replace two overpasses at Exit 271 near Coldwater continues in Tate County.

The northbound bridge has been completed and is open to traffic. Crews are currently constructing a temporary southbound approach to a temporary detour bridge in place.

Southbound traffic is expected to begin using the temporary detour in July. Once traffic is switched to the detour, crews will demolish the existing southbound bridge and begin constructing the permanent bridge. When the bridge is complete, the temporary detour bridge will be removed.

The existing bridges were built in 1959, and the bridge decks had deteriorated to a point where replacement was the only solution. The $9 million project was awarded to Joe McGee Construction Company. The project will install a pair of bridges on the site with a life expectancy of 75 to 100 years. The project is estimated to be completed in fall 2019.

For more information about these or other MDOT maintenance and construction projects, visit MDOTtraffic.com.