Highway 51, I-55 and others, all that funding is predicated on fuel tax, which has been dropping off over the years,” Caldwell said. “Our dilemma is for funding for highways like the U.S. I think the squeaky wheel will get the grease.”Ĭaldwell added that part of the money squeeze in Jackson has come because the state highway department budget it receives is not pacing the demand for more and widened highways. These are projects that are going to take big money. “All of us, including politicians, would love the quick fix, but there’s no quick fix. Governor and Speaker of the House might pay a little more attention to it,” Caldwell said. “I think a grassroots effort is going to be something that maybe the Lt. He knows how difficult it is to get money for these projects. DeSoto County and its municipalities are a vital component of the economy of Mississippi.”įor his part, Caldwell is happy to see this effort try to bend the ear of state and federal leaders. “Unfortunately, no funds were allocated to these projects. “The requests to the state for assistance in upgrading those three roads were made in the last legislative session,” Latimer said.
Horn Lake Mayor Allen Latimer noted that city leaders again tried to get state funding passed in the last legislative session without success. “Not only are these major roadways the gateway to the State of Mississippi from the north end of the state, they are integral to the national commerce movement.”Īdams pointed out that DeSoto County accounted for 50 percent of the population growth among all 82 counties of Mississippi in the last census. that we must receive State and Federal support to address this issue,” said Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams. “The goal of the Driving DeSoto website and initiative is a grassroots team effort by local officials to get citizens and business leaders impacted by these at-capacity roadways to send a united message to our leaders in Jackson and Washington, D.C. just how bad the situation really is.Īn online petition website, has gone live where residents can learn more about the problems and sign a petition that will be taken to future meetings with state and federal officials.Īccording to the website, North Mississippi cities and counties are suffering from lost opportunities to grow jobs and population due to these outdated highways. With the growing frustration that highways are not expanding as they should, local and county officials think it’s time Jackson and Washington hear from the people who use the roads. Our traffic flow is outpacing the national average,” adding that DeSoto is among five counties in his 33-county district that outpaces the national average. “The more people we put in here may be a good thing, but it means more traffic and more challenges, and we need to find a way to serve those needs as they grow. “We are on a growth pattern that is outpacing the rest of the state,” said MDOT Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell of Nesbit. The road improvements are not meeting up with the growing demand. Meanwhile, DeSoto County ranks among the high-growth counties in Mississippi and the region. Workers, residents, tourists, truck transportation and everything else for DeSoto, Tate, Panola, Lafayette and many other locations use the highways each day. There can be several days in a row where accidents occur on I-55 because of heavy traffic. About 22,000 vehicles daily use state Highway 305, now a major north-south connector between U.S. Nearly 200,000 vehicles a day travel those three roadways, with I-55 alone carrying an average of 75,000 cars a day. Few dollars have been earmarked for this part of the state, however. 51, and state Highway 305 are seen as major entrance points that have been grossly neglected.
But this time, they need your help and voice.įor years, discussions with congressional representatives and state legislative leaders have always included the need for more money to improve roads and highways entering the county. You’ve likely sat in a traffic jam on one of DeSoto County’s major roadways, or even worse, been in gridlock after an accident on I-55 has closed the lanes for hours, and wondered aloud (or worse) why more isn’t being done to widen the roads.Ĭity and county leaders say it’s not really been for a lack of effort and asking, and local officials are trying again to get state and federal attention to the ever-growing need of road construction and improvements for the state’s fast growing county. Photo: Widening I-55 in DeSoto County, including this stretch near Hernando, has been talked about for years with little progress being accomplished.
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