Over the past three and a half years, Mayor Toby Barker, his administration and Hattiesburg City Council members have made it a priority to address the condition of the roads in Hattiesburg, completing millions of dollars of street paving projects throughout the city’s five wards.
That commitment has paid dividends so far, with city officials recently releasing a winter/spring paving list that will round out an investment of approximately $1.5 million in paving for each ward, along with 75 total city miles paved since Barker took office.
“I think this list demonstrates the continued commitment to boost investment in the city’s roadways, while making sure that investment is spread evenly across Hattiesburg,” Barker said. “To get to 75 miles in three and a half years is a significant milestone, and to do it while ensuring that each ward received at least $1.5 million in investment is testament to that.”
The list of streets to be paved, by ward, are as follows.
•Ward 1: Azalea Drive, Brookwood Lane, Classic Woods Drive, Juniper Drive, Lake Estates Drive North, Mable Street (38thAvenue to 37thAvenue), Montague Boulevard (38thAvenue to 40thAvenue), Montrose Avenue, Morningside Drive, North 35thAvenue (West 4thStreet to Morningside Drive), North 36thAvenue (West 4thStreet to Morningside Drive), North 37thAvenue (West 4thStreet to Morningside Drive), Pine Tree Drive, and West 7thStreet (North 31stAvenue to North 25thAvenue).
•Ward 2: Alcorn Avenue, Arledge Street (Shelton Avenue to County Drive), Cahal Street, Carey Court, Carpenter Street, Claiborne Avenue, County Drive (Cherry Street to Edwards Street), East 3rdStreet, East 7thStreet, Green Street (East 3rdStreet to College Street), Mobile Street (Front Street to Buschman Street), Mobile Street (East 7thStreet to Old Highway 42), Roy Street, Mallory Street, Redus Street, Roby Street, Pack Street, Milton Barnes Avenue (Edwards Street to Roby Street, and Shelton Avenue.
•Ward 3: Bellair Drive, Bellmont Drive, Chelsea Place, Chesterfield Drive, Huckleberry Lane, Kensington Drive, Leeds Place, South 34thAvenue, Shadowwood Drive, Woodbine Lane, and Woodland Hills Drive.
•Ward 4: Adeline Street (South 21stAvenue to South 18thAvenue), Evergreen Lane, Fuller Street (South 21stAvenue to South 18thAvenue), Pineview Drive, Rainbow Circle, Ridgeway Lane, South 15thAvenue, South 18thAvenue (Adeline Street to Fuller Street), South 19thAvenue (Adeline Street to Fuller Street), South 21stAvenue (Adeline Street to Fuller Street), South 22ndAvenue Extension, Woodhaven Drive, Windsor Drive, and Mimosa Lane.
•Ward 5: Benton Drive, Byron Street, Cactus Street, Clementine Avenue, Continental Boulevard, Davidson Place, Fowler Street, Hill Street, Houston Street, Laura Street, Lott Street, McInnis Springs Road, Old Airport Road (Chancellor Road to Railroad Street), Phoenix Circle, Stone Street, Tucker Street, and Victoria Drive.
Because the $2.7 million paving project got an early start, several of the roads on the list have already been completed. The schedule for upcoming paving is subject to weather.
“I think that for so long, we have had this defensive posture when it comes to addressing infrastructure needs – we go and we pave the worst roads in each ward,” Barker said. “But now, we’re at a place where we can proactively look out on the horizon and know over the next years which roads need to be paved, and also we can start designating a portion of our road budget to interventions that can extend the life of those roads.
“That creates a more strategic approach to infrastructure.”
The current list was created based on staff recommendations, community feedback and requests by city council members. For a comprehensive look at paving in the city since Fiscal Year 2018, visit www.hattiesburgms.com/insfrastructure/paving.
