Unfinished I-55 project draws safety, economic concerns - Mississippi News Now

JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) - Since the Mississippi Department of Transportation halted construction back in January, work on a lane-widening project for Interstate 55 has yet to resume.

MDOT had stopped construction on the portion of I-55 that runs from Byram to I-20 because of Yazoo clay creating unforeseen problems for the contractor. Those road hazards are causing financial concerns for at least one local business owner.

"It's frustrating when you're $140,000 to $150,000 short at the end of the year," said Alvin Woods, who owns a lawn care equipment store in South Jackson.

Woods had what he thought was a prime location for customers when he moved his business there, a stone's throw away from I-55 on Frontage Road.

"With him moving to Jackson, I thought it was going to be a great convenience for me," said Jackson resident Robert Myers. 

Then construction on I-55 began, creating challenges for customers who frequent businesses along that road.

"With the tie up and the traffic back and forth that I have to do just to get in here to see him, it's a little frustrating," said Myers. 

"You could get off at Byram and you're gonna dead end. You could get off at Daniel Lake and you're gonna dead end. You couldn't get here," said Woods.

The confusion led to a big financial drain on his already successful business, and others say it's happened to them as well.

"If you weren't familiar with all this down here, because we get a lot of out-of-town customers, you know, they're lost," said employee Cindy Smith, who works at Rick's Pro Truck.

Woods said he installed three signs last year to show customers how they could find him.

"[MDOT] did put a sign beside my sign that said "Road Closed," and on the way home every day, I'd take their sign, said Woods. "And this is not gonna get me in jail, I hope, but I'd take their sign and throw it in the ditch." 

There's no timeline in place even for when construction could resume on that portion of interstate.

"We know when it's gonna be completed; June of last year," said Woods, noting the original completion date.

MDOT spokesman Jason Scott said the department received three bids for the project on Friday from construction companies. Those bids range from $103 million to nearly $170 million.

One of those still has to be approved by the transportation commission, but Scott said that might not even happen if the bids are deemed too high.

The date for that transportation commission decision has not been announced.

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