More than $51 million is coming to Mississippi for major infrastructure projects.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced Wednesday that the funding is heading to Rankin, Hancock, and Harrison counties for various road and parking improvements. The money is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation through its Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants program.
The Mississippi projects include:
- $24 million to the city of Brandon for its U.S. Highway 80 Capacity and Safety Improvements Project
- This project project will involve roadway, pedestrian, and intersection improvements on U.S. Highway 80, including the addition of one west-bound lane, installation of a raised median with designated left-hand turn lanes, and sidewalk construction.
- $22.1 million to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for an I-10 Freight Corridor Parking Availability System and Truck Parking Expansion Project.
- This expansion will increase truck parking capacity from 20 to approximately 74 spaces
- The new technology will be used to detect, monitor, and provide real-time truck parking availability information to truck drivers.
- $5 million to the city of D’Iberville for its Mallett Road Intermodal Corridor Improvements Project.
- Thisproject will entail widening Mallett Road from Lamey Bridge Road to Daisy Vestry Road from three to four 11-foot-wide traffic lanes, intersection improvements, and crosswalk installation.
“There’s no doubt that growth in the capital region and on the beautiful Gulf Coast requires significant infrastructure investments to keep pace and prepare for even greater growth,” Hyde-Smith said. “These BUILD grants for work in Rankin, Hancock, and Harrison counties are terrific news in terms of making Mississippi safer and accommodating to economic growth.”
Hyde-Smith, who chairs the Senate’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote letters of support for Mississippi applications for the BUILD grants. Her request was heard and acted upon by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“I appreciate Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s consideration of these projects, which will make a big difference in my state,” Hyde-Smith said.
The BUILD grant program is highly competitive, with hundreds of applications from across the country. Federal officials say projects for grant funding are evaluated based on merit criteria that include safety, economic competitiveness, quality of life, environmental sustainability, state of good repair, innovation, and partnership.
