Residents in east Hattiesburg will soon see some much-infrastructure repairs in the form of more than $1.4 million in sewer and water work along the Edwards Street corridor in Ward 2.
Sewer upgrades are expected to start within the next couple of weeks on parts of Edwards Street, Eufala Street, Magnolia Avenue and Duke Avenue. Water work, some of which has already begun, will include parts of Short Katie Street, Roy Street, Cypress Street east of Edwards Street, and Claiborne Avenue between Arledge and Edwards streets.
“This work lays the groundwork us for a future rebuild of the northern part of Edwards Street that leads to the Public Safety Complex and the East (Hall Avenue) Overpass,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “By replacing the sewer lines and upgrading the water lines to proper size will ultimately grant better water pressure and fire protection in the surrounding area.”
Approximately $829,000 of the project cost will come from funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the $1.9 trillion economic bill passed that year by the federal government to speed up recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately $587,000 will come from the state-matched Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act, which was created by Gov. Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Legislature to provide matching funds to eligible entities for making necessary investments in water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
This marks the second city project funded by ARPA.
Grady Crawford will be the contractor for the project, and Shows, Dearman & Waits will be the project’s engineering firm. The city will cover engineering costs from its regular water and sewer fees.
“Edwards Street and that area around it has been on the work list for some time,” Barker said. “Obviously, the American Rescue Plan funds, paired with the MCWI grant helped speed it along.
“But as we look into the future, there is a complete rebuild of the northern part of Edwards Street that is on the table to start construction some time next year. But reviewing what’s under the street is the priority before we start addressing the actual roadway itself.”
The current water and sewer work is expected to finish by early summer.
“The public, we just encourage them to be mindful of construction workers in the area and be patient, as that sewer trench is going to have to settle for some time before it can be paved,” Barker said. “It shouldn’t shut down all the traffic (at once), but if it does, detours will be posted.”
