Road work will continue for approximately the next two months on the stretch of Old Highway 42 that runs from U.S. 49 to Bouie Street in Hattiesburg.
The work, which began April 25, consists of milling the current road and putting down a new layer of asphalt, as well as striping and concreting of manhole covers along the road.
“There are several large corridors that we have wanted to tackle, and the Internet Sales Tax provides kind of a semi-annual windfall of money that can be used for water, sewer, bridges, roads,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “This was an opportunity to tackle a really big corridor that’s now under city maintenance, and so it was a project that we had penciled in for this January 2022 check for some time.
“So we’re glad to finally see the work beginning.”
The two-month timeline is dependent upon weather, among other factors.
“It’s a very busy road; it’s very long and the weather is very volatile this time of year,” Barker said. “I anticipate it will take the better part of two months, while hoping for the best.”
This project is being completed by Walters Construction Co., Inc. and travel delays throughout the construction zone should be expected until the project is complete. Motorists are encouraged to use alternate paths when possible.
“The plan is to keep parts of the road open throughout the process,” Barker said. “Expect some delays, and obviously be courteous and safe around workers. I get that we get a lot of truck traffic and a lot of through traffic with people coming from Petal and different parts of the city. “We also have a lot of neighborhoods in the (Highway 42) Bypass. I just encourage people to be safe, especially when construction is going on. It’s great that we’re finally able to resurface a road, but we want to make sure that we do it safely.”
In total, the project will cost $1,192,925 and is being paid for by funds generated through the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act, which was signed during a special legislative session in 2018. That tax diverts 35 percent, phased in over four years, of the 7 percent use tax for Internet and out-of-state tax sales back to local governments for infrastructure improvements.
House Bill 1, also known as the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act, includes a diversion of use tax for local infrastructure improvement, with a growing percentage year over year through year 4.
- 2019: 3.75 percent in Year 1 = $475,000
- 2020: 7.5 percent in Year 2 = $950,000
- 2021: 11.25 percent in Year 3 = $1,425,000
- 2022: 15 percent in Year 4 and beyond = $1,900,000.
