How long will I-10 lane closures last in Biloxi? What to know about MDOT road projects.
Already dealing with heavy traffic, drivers on Interstate 10 in Harrison County face the additional challenge of lane closures while work continues to restore a bridge near Woolmarket.
“This is night work with alternating daytime lane closures,” said Katey Hornsby, public information officer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The work is between Cedar Lake Road Exit 44 and Woolmarket Exit 41.
“Right now, the right lane in each direction is closed and being used for the contractor’s work area,” she said. “Two lanes of traffic are open in each direction.”
This is Phase I of the project. The scope of the work includes repairing splice plates on steel girders, replacing all joint sealing materials and repairing concrete columns and areas where weathering has caused the concrete to flake or peel.
“When this is complete, traffic will be shifted,” she said. “At that point, the left lane in each direction will be closed and used as the contractor’s work area. Again, two lanes of traffic will be open.”
Between 60,000 and 78,000 vehicles a day travel that portion of I-10, according to MDOT. The bridge work will continue through the holidays.
The estimated completion date is mid-January.
Hornsby said signs are placed a mile ahead of the lane closures, following the industry standards for safety. Although not required, MDOT has added several message boards on I-10 to notify drivers, she said.
More road work coming to South MS
Dozens more projects are under way or starting soon in the lower counties of Mississippi, said Tom King, commission for MDOT’s Southern Transportation District.
Some are being funded with the proceeds from Mississippi’s lottery.
The first $80 million in lottery proceeds — after expenses and paying winnings — goes to the State Highway Fund to build and maintain roads and bridges throughout the state. Proceeds beyond that go into an education fund.
The lottery-funded projects recently completed are a $2.1 million project to overlay 11 miles of Mississippi 26 in Stone County and a $2.6 million overlay on Mississippi 603, 53, and 43 in Hancock and Pearl River counties.
Also funded by the lottery is a $4.8 million paving project on U.S. 90 in Jackson County, stretching seven miles from Mississippi 57 to the West Pascagoula River Bridge. Warren Paving is expected to complete the work late this year.
Other MDOT projects under way in South Mississippi are:
▪ U.S. 11 in Pearl River County. Drainage work is nearly complete and significant curb and paving work remain. Phase one of the $14.4 million project is expected to be completed fall 2022. The second phase will see the a new bridge over East Hobolochitto Creek, with construction beginning in 2023. The entire project should be complete in 2025.
▪ U.S. 90 in Jackson County. Crews are working on intersection improvements from Pascagoula Street to Chevron Drive. Paving is complete and work continues on traffic signals. The $11.9 million project awarded to Mallette Brothers Construction Co. of Gautier is expected to be complete late this year
▪ Fort Bayou drawbridge rehabilitation on Mississippi 609 in Jackson County. The gears and motors are in place for the north span of the bridge and are being installed and realigned on the south span. Work on the bridge tender house is underway and electrical elements need to be tied to the house. The $20 million project is expected to be completed late this year.
