NEW ALBANY, Miss.--Work is continuing on a six mile stretch of Hwy. 78 in New Albany as the Miss. Dept. of Transportation gets ready for the highway's conversion into Interstate 22.

A spokesperson for MDOT told us Tuesday that the stretch on 78 from Hwy. 45 in Tupelo to the Alabama state line will become Interstate 22 when the road work is complete. The work is an upgrade to interstate standards, said Northern District Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert.

“We are looking forward to this reconstruction of the highway and providing a safe and smooth surface for the traveling public in Union County,” said Tagert. “It is very important that motorists slow down as they approach the work zone and watch out for crews and equipment in the area.”

Right now, most of the work is concentrated from just west of Hwy. 30 to just east of Hwy. 15.

A news release from MDOT:

This project began in March 2012 and is expected to be complete in November of 2013. Presently, the project is approximately 35 percent complete with 65 percent remaining. The contractor expects to have the work on the outside lanes complete near the first of the year.