MDOT updates road, bridge work

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced several construction and maintenance project updates in north Mississippi.

Hwy. 6 / Panola County: A project to mill and overlay approximately 14 miles of U.S. 278 is underway in Panola County. Mainline paving operations are complete. The contractor completed all asphalt items. Shoulder gravel installation, cutting of rumble strips and permanent striping of the new asphalt is all that remains.

The $13.6 million project was awarded to Lehman-Roberts Company of Memphis, and is expected to be completed this fall.

Roundabout Hwy. 7/ Oxford: A project is underway to construct new roundabouts at the State Route 7 ramps and University Ave. in Oxford.

All four interchange ramps will remain open during construction. Traffic will use the inside lanes within the traffic circles. Work is isolated to the outside portion of the road. Drainage work as well as curb and gutter installation is ongoing.

The $4.9 million contract was awarded to Cook & Son, LLC of Smithville. Work is expected to be complete in spring 2026.

Hwy 51 bridge / Yocona River: Work continues on the replacement of the U.S. 51 bridge over Yocona River in Yalobusha County.

Bridge deck operations are underway. The contractor has completed deck pours for spans 1 and 2. North and south of the river, the contractor is performing dirt operations in anticipation of limestone gravel placement. There are still two stone dikes to be placed in the river east of the new bridge. Once use of the work bridge is no longer needed, the contractor plans to build the remaining stone dikes out of rock used within the work road.

The contractor has also completed construction of the box culvert north of the river. The upstream and downstream ends of the box culvert have been reinforced with riprap.

Century Construction of Tupelo was awarded the $12.2 million contract. It is anticipated that work will be complete by spring 2026.