U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith announced the award of $38 million in federal grant funding for road and bridge improvements in Mississippi.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will provide $25 million to assist with widening Mississippi 19 in Neshoba County and $13 million to support road and bridge improvements to Holly Springs Road in DeSoto County.
Wicker said the grants announced will support two high-priority infrastructure projects for Mississippi.
“I commend the Department of Transportation and Secretary Elaine Chao for recognizing the importance of these projects, which will be essential to ensuring the safety of thousands of Mississippians and continued economic development along these well-traveled corridors,” said Wicker.
Hyde-Smith said the competition for BUILD grand funds is intense, which makes these awards to Neshoba and Desoto counties special.
“These two projects are intended to improve public safety and increase the attractiveness of these areas for growth,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We’ll continue to work to find additional resources to support Mississippi’s infrastructure needs.”
The awards announced are being made available as part of the DOT Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant program.
The $25 million in BUILD grant funding for Neshoba County will support the final phase of a plan to widen Mississippi 19 to four lanes between Meridian and Philadelphia. The project is expected to cost a total of $40 million and will help improve economic development along the corridor.
The $13 million in BUILD grant funding for DeSoto County will support much-needed improvements to Holly Springs Road, which has been damaged by overuse and repeated flooding. The project, which is expected to cost a total of $30 million, will elevate the roadway, replace five bridges, and realign numerous hairpin curves that have caused repeated accidents.
