$5M includes roundabout at Tolbert’s
A $5 million road project that will include a roundabout in front of Tolbert Chevorlet as well as divert truck traffic away from town was announced this week.
State Sen. Jenifer Branning and Rep. C. Scott Bounds on Tuesday jointly issued a statement regarding the transportation infrastructure improvements planned by the state in Philadelphia.
“Our community has unique infrastructure challenges brought on by diverse and thriving economic interest and investments,” they said in the statement. “We recognize that the safety of the traveling public is paramount, and we want to provide workable solutions that balance public safety and support for the industries and agricultural interest that invest and provide jobs for our citizens.”
“Assisted with the guidance of MDOT (Mississippi Department of Transportation) and Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons, we have compiled a plan that is a step in the right direction for addressing traffic concerns in our area.”
The Lakeside Drive Improvements Project is in the planning and design phase and will consist of a roundabout to replace the “dangerous and burdensome intersection of Highways 15 and 16 in front of Tolbert’s Chevrolet,” they said.
“After much discussion, this option has been presented by MDOT traffic study experts and highway engineers as the most sensible and cost-effective solution,” they said.
“The end-result will be better traffic flow in west Philadelphia and a diversion of the truck traffic onto Lakeside Drive toward Weyerhaeuser, as opposed to the current truck route into town,” the statement said.
Additionally, MDOT will be replacing two bridges leading to Weyerhaeuser: the Lewis Avenue / Weyerhaeuser Road bridge, as well as the Lakeside Drive bridge, according to the legislators.
“Both bridges have been identified as substandard, and the replacement of each is necessary for the safety of the traveling public,” the legislators aid. “This portion of the project has an estimated cost of $1,000,000 and is expected to be let for contract in the fall of 2024.”
They said the project is “expected to yield an ease of traffic flow and better accessibility in the area, and will enhance economic development and safety for all citizens.”
Sen. Branning said that local infrastructure improvements and the safety of the traveling public remain at the “top of our priority list, and the Lakeside Drive Improvement Project is a step in the right direction for addressing our local traffic concerns in an efficient and cost-effective way.”
Bounds added that both projects are critical to further economic development growth in Neshoba County and transportation safety to our citizens.
“We are pleased with the progress being made in that regard,” he said. “We acknowledge Mayor Young and the Board of Alderman for their cooperation on both of these projects.”
A roundabout, also known as a rotary or traffic circle, is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.