Mississippi DOT's Road Work in Full Swing at 15 Sites in State's Western Counties

Mississippi DOT's road work in the state's western counties includes projects like the U.S. Highway 82 Greenville Bypass nearing completion, bridge repairs like Miss. 28 in Copiah County progressing, and multiple other maintenance and construction initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure and traffic conditions throughout the region.

Tue May 13, 2025 - Southeast Edition
Mississippi Department of Transportation

Simmons said that crews continue making headway on the U.S. 82 Greenville Bypass in Washington County. (Mississippi Department of Transportation photo)

Mississippi Transportation Commission Chair Willie Simmons recently announced updates to several state Department of Transportation (MDOT) projects in the state's western counties.

"As we enter prime maintenance and construction season, we're pleased to provide the following updates on projects across western Mississippi," he said in a May 7, 2025 news release. "This amount of progress shows your tax dollars hard at work improving our infrastructure."

U.S. Highway 82 Greenville Bypass Work Nears Final Stages

Simmons said that crews continue making headway on the U.S. 82 Greenville Bypass in Washington County. The project calls for the construction of 9 mi. of four-lane highway from Mississippi Highway 1 to Leland. It also provides for the grading, paving, bridge repairs and installation of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) components on the U.S. 82 Greenville Bypass from the Mississippi River Bridge to Miss. 1.

In addition, Simmons added:

workers are currently placing the second and final lift of asphalt, as well as pouring sign foundations;
Haxton Road, Flannagan Road and Miss. 454 remain open to traffic on a new alignment;
crews also continue boring and pulling wire for lighting and ITS installation; and
cable barrier, signposts and fences are being installed.

"Significant progress continues being made on this long-term construction project that will greatly enhance safety and improve traffic conditions throughout a region that is very near and dear to me," he said. "We are taking vehicles carrying chemicals and hazardous products out of our communities along U.S. 82. Please drive slow and exercise caution so that we can safely put the finishing touches on this massive construction project."

The remainder of the bypass project is on track to be completed this fall. The contract was awarded to Eutaw Construction of Madison, Miss. at a total cost of $216 million.

Miss. 28 Bridge Rehabilitation Continues in Copiah County

Repairs to the Miss. 28 bridge over the Pearl River at the Copiah/Simpson County line also are progressing. The 80-year-old steel truss bridge has been closed since 2024 after being struck by an over-height vehicle traveling westbound, the result of which caused significant structural damage.

Crews working for Southern Road & Bridge LLC, located in Tarpon Springs, Fla., are currently erecting structural members of the bridge. Several sway bracings were struck during the accident, damaging the load-bearing components of the bridge. Due to its large and complex design, a significant amount of preliminary engineering work was completed before repairs began, including five shoring points that were designed and approved by MDOT.

"As commissioner, I applaud our dedicated engineers for their careful review, design and execution of this complex bridge repair," Simmons said. "We also appreciate the patience of surrounding communities and businesses for allowing us to get the assessment and repair process completed as quickly and safely as possible. Every effort is being made to expedite the repair and reopen the bridge as soon as it is safe to do so."

The $1.5 million repair project is on track to be completed this spring, according to MDOT.

Miss. 16/149 Bridge Replacements in Yazoo County

A $27.9 million project to replace three bridges on Miss. 16/149 over the Yazoo River Floodway channels is quickly heading toward its conclusion at the end of this year.

The work requires the complete closure of the state highway between West Leeve Road and Whittington East Levee Road in Yazoo County.

The contractor, Madison-based Key LLC, has completed Bridges A and C and is in the process of setting the structural steel for Bridge B.

"We appreciate your patience [in allowing] crews to get these bridges replaced as quickly and efficiently as possible," Simmons said in the MDOT news release. "Residents and businesses will have a safer set of bridges to carry loads across [Miss.] 16/149."

Road Construction, Maintenance is Spread All Over Region

In addition to these roadway efforts, a number of others are also under way across western Mississippi.

A project calling for the repair of five bridges on Interstate 20 over the Big Black River in Warren County is ongoing. Crews are placing traffic head-to-head and starting bridge repair work at the site. The $17.1 million project was awarded to Key LLC, which is expected to wrap up the work in the autumn of 2026.
The U.S. 49W bridge over the Sunflower River is being repaired as part of a $3 million contract that MDOT awarded to Key LLC. At the Sunflower County site, workers have swapped traffic to a head-to-head configuration so that fixes can be made on the southbound bridge in time for the project's completion this fall.
A project calling for the reconstruction of I-20 in Warren County has recently begun. Crews from T.L. Wallace Construction Inc. in Columbia, Miss. are currently working on detours and roundabout construction. The $13.4 million project is expected to finish in the fall of 2026.
A major U.S. 49 pavement restoration continues in Yazoo County where 11 mi. of the highway is being upgraded from almost a mile north of Old U.S. 49 to the Miss. 16/U.S. 49 frontage road just south of Yazoo County High School. Richland's APAC-MS is removing and replacing island pavement, performing curb and gutter work at local intersections and correcting drainage issues. At the same time, a paving team is applying the second of four lifts of asphalt on mainline U.S. 49. The $29 million project is likely to wrap up later this fall.
Also planned to be finished this autumn is a major 19-mi. overlay effort in Claiborne County along Miss. 547 from the Copiah County line to U.S. 61 in Port Gibson. At the moment, workers with Dickerson & Bowen Inc. are milling and paving the highway's mainline. The MDOT contract is worth $4.6 million.
In Jefferson County, a second massive asphalt overlay stretching for 19 mi. is taking place on Miss. 553 from the Adams County line to U.S 61 in Fayette. Random clearing is currently under way throughout the $6.6 million project, which was awarded to APAC-MS. MDOT noted that work should be completed by the end of 2025.
A bridge replacement over Little White Oak Creek continues in Copiah County along Miss. 227. The contractor, Chris Albritton Construction Co. Inc. in Laurel, Miss., has placed traffic on the final alignment after having extended the box culvert and removing the detour. The $6.9 million construction is on track to wrap up this summer.
An effort that calls for the replacement of a bridge on Miss. 8 over the Quiver River in Sunflower County is also underway this spring. There, crews have driven the test piles and began constructing the detour bridge. The $7.9 million contract was awarded to Ridgeland, Miss.'s Century Construction Group Inc. and is projected to be completed by the end of 2026, according to MDOT.
In Warren County, a mill and overlay 5 mi. in length along Miss. 822 (Old U.S. 80) from Glenwood Funeral Home to the end of state maintenance near Bovina is nearing its end. Once washing issues are corrected, only thermoplastic stripe placement remains. The $1.8 million project went to APAC-MS, which should have the work wrapped up this summer.
Eight miles of U.S. 49W from U.S. 82 in Indianola to Sunflower, including a single mile of Miss. 3 from A.J. Riley Road to U.S. 49W, is being milled and overlaid in Sunflower County. APAC-MS and its people have completed mainline paving and are working on pads, local roads and shoulder gravel as part of its $4.1 million state contract. The road project should be finished in the coming weeks.
Work also is moving along to overlay U.S. 61 from the end of its four-lane section south of Port Gibson to Miss. 547. So far, crews from Vicksburg's Hayes General Construction LLC have cleared and repaired failed areas in the pavement. With a contract worth $1.5 million, the contractor is expected to complete the paving project by this fall.
In Holmes County, a $2.7 million bridge replacement on Miss. 12 over Moccasin Creek recently began, according to MDOT. Waterford, Miss.-based Ste-Bil Grading Inc. currently has its crews driving production piles for the bridge. The construction is slated to be finished by Spring 2026.

MDOT is responsible for providing a safe intermodal transportation network that is planned, designed, constructed and maintained in an effective, cost-efficient and environmentally sensitive manner. The agency's objective is to maximize taxpayer dollars by providing safe and efficient roadways that enhance economic stability and growth statewide.