Three Forrest County road and bridge projects listed on an emergency list for repairs were among 163 statewide to receive funding from the Mississippi Transportation Commission.
The largest allotment, $15.2 million, was given to replacement of the East Hardy Street Bridge between Hattiesburg and Petal. This allotment was the largest for any county in the state.
A $16.3 million allotment was given to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for work on I-20.
The other two Forrest County projects receiving funding were Carnes Road in District 5, which received $593,507.06, and Main Street in Brooklyn, which received $278,139.07.
Rep. Larry Byrd, (R-104th District), notified members of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors during Tuesday’s meeting of the board.
Supervisor Burkett Ross (District 3) said he is excited and appreciates the work Byrd has done to get these funds dedicated to this project.
“This is big news for us,” said Ross of the project, which will replace the 70-year-old bridge built in 1950. Ross said he has no time frame for when the project will be started, but understands that the existing bridge will remain intact during the construction to allow for travel back and forth between Petal and Hattiesburg.
All together the commission funded 163 projects totaling $250M. The money was set aside by the Legislature in 2018 for local governments to begin infrastructure projects.
