$65M from state will finish 19 four-lane
For local state lawmakers, there is a feeling of mission accomplished as money to complete the Highway 19 four-lane project with Phase 2 from Tucker to House has been approved by the Mississippi Legislature.
Rep. C. Scott Bounds and Sen. Jenifer Branning announced this week that $65 million was earmarked for the project during the 2023 session which ended on Saturday morning.
They also announced that $10 million has been appropriated for Phase 2 of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in downtown Philadelphia. See story on page 2A.
Bounds said that $450 million in state funding was secured during the session to supplement the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Capacity Program. The Highway 19 project was included in that program.
“This has allowed for the scheduled completion of the Highway 19 south project in Neshoba County from the Bethsaida Community to Highway 492 in the House Community,” Bounds said. “Completion of this near shovel ready project has been a top priority of the Neshoba County Legislative delegation as well as MDOT.”
Plans are to have the first phase from Tucker to Philadelphia completed sometime in 2024.
“Pre-construction planning is already underway for the second phase,” said Branning, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. “MDOT tells us they are on schedule. When Phase 1 is complete, construction will roll into Phase 2.”
Bounds added “that the completion of this project is critical to further economic development in Neshoba County and transportation safety for citizens.
“This has been a longtime coming,” said Bounds. “This project has been on the drawing board for more than 20 years. We’re excited about seeing the initiation of the completion enhancements to this vital transportation corridor.”
Branning said you can expect more to come.
“Local infrastructure improvements remain at the top of our priority list,” Branning said. “This project is just the beginning of several local improvement projects to come. “The good people of Neshoba County have waited a long time for infrastructure advancements such as this, and we are grateful to the Department of Transportation and other state leaders that have helped make this a reality.”.
“Our thanks go to Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons and MDOT Executive Director Brad White in making this a top priority in the Central District and working with us to arrive at this juncture in the project” stated Branning and Bounds in the joint statement.