Hurricane season’s peak is nearing. What’s the latest on South MS roadwork?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- MDOT will pause construction and open lanes for emergency hurricane response.
- I-10 expansion near Diamondhead remains active, with full completion set for 2027.
- U.S. 90 closure persists at Louisiana line; bridge funding remains unresolved.
The orange cones can seem endless.
But crews pouring asphalt and concrete across South Mississippi this month could stop in a flash before a hurricane, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said. Agency staff would pause construction to focus on emergency response. And MDOT, said spokesperson Anna Ehrgott, would open every lane it can “to increase roadway capacity as much as possible.”
Many of the Coast’s evacuation routes are under construction, and crews kept paving this week as the region enters the busiest part of hurricane season.
On Interstate 10, between Diamondhead and County Farm Road, construction to expand the thoroughfare from four to six lanes will finish in 2027. Crews are still building new lanes in each direction this month.
Frustration is also growing among some drivers in Hancock County, where a stretch of U.S. 90 at the Louisiana state line has been closed since 2022.
State leaders have called the road an important evacuation alternative to Interstate 10. But it is unclear when the route will reopen. Louisiana’s Department of Transportation says it does not have enough money to fix a network of bridges it has deemed unsafe.
Daniel Gitlin, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Transportation, said a solution will take years.
Louisiana is trying to find about $300 million to fix five bridges that are worn by time and deteriorating. The state is working on a federal grant application due this fall to cover the cost, according to its transportation department. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is helping Louisiana search for money and will also help cover the cost of replacing one bridge at the state line, according to Ehrgott.
In Harrison County, Highway 49 is growing from four to six lanes between O’Neal and School roads. Construction will last until 2026. MDOT is also building a pedestrian path from Turkey Creek to Creosote Road. And roadwork seven miles south of Stone County on State Route 15 is expected to end this fall.
Highway 57 in Jackson County is growing too: Construction to widen the road to four lanes between I-10 and Vancleave will finish in 2027.
The construction projects have not faced storms so far this summer, and the National Hurricane Center said this week that a disturbance rumbling over the southwestern Gulf has slim chances of development. Just five named storms have formed so far this year, but federal forecasters are predicting as many as nine hurricanes could appear before the end of November.
MDOT has said its work is worth it. The agency argues bigger roads will mean faster travel and less congestion that will meet demands of a rising population across the region.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 10:21 AM.