Five cities in Mississippi have been awarded $44 million in funding for roadway projects through the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. The announcement follows the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Senator Roger Wicker helped negotiate as a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee.
Senator Wicker commented on the grants, stating: “Improved roadways lead to improved safety and increased commerce. I have continually advocated for these investments in Mississippi’s infrastructure. I am eager for these grants to be implemented across the state. These upgrades will provide safer, more convenient travel options for drivers and pedestrians alike.”
The funding is distributed among several communities:
– The City of D’Iberville will receive $7,920,000 to implement Phase One safety improvements on Lamey Bridge Road. The project aims to reduce accidents and create a safe route for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting to a future Interstate 10 crossing.
– The City of Ridgeland is allocated $15,653,600 to reconfigure West Jackson Street between Sunnybrook Road and U.S. Highway 51. Planned changes include a corridor road diet, safer crossings, and upgraded pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
– Hinds County will get $20 million to reconstruct a 2.75-mile segment of Robinson Road between Interstate 220 and West Capitol Street. This project focuses on reducing fatal and serious injury crashes while improving multimodal safety.
– Bolivar County Board of Supervisors is set to receive $200,000 for baseline data collection, supplemental planning activities, demonstration projects using video analytics and GIS mapping, as well as an updated Comprehensive Safety Action Plan with performance measures.
– Tunica County Board of Supervisors will use its $248,000 grant to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that includes leadership commitment, crash analysis over five years, public engagement sessions, a high-injury network study, web-based dashboard tracking targets and progress.
Senator Wicker represents Mississippi in the U.S. Senate as a Republican senator since December 2007 after previous service in the U.S. House of Representatives (official website). He has held roles such as chairing the Armed Services Committee (official website), contributing to global health initiatives (official website), supporting naval capabilities through legislation like the SHIPS Act (official website), serving on various caucuses including those focused on malaria prevention (official website), being honored by national organizations (official website), and participating in oversight boards such as that for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (official website).
Mississippi’s allocation under this federal grant program highlights continued efforts by state leaders like Senator Wicker toward transportation safety improvements.