WTVA-TV Tupelo-Columbus
Funding to help with planning of overpass in Tupelo and extension of Tanglefoot Trail
By Zac Carlisle
WASHINGTON (WTVA) - $2.8 million will be used for the planning of an overpass in Tupelo and the extension of the Tanglefoot Trail by 20 miles.
The federal government awarded $15.4 million for projects in Tupelo, Ripley and Yazoo City.
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, both Republicans from Mississippi, made the announcement on Tuesday, Aug. 9.
$1.4 million will be used in Tupelo for several projects, including engineering and planning work to build a highway overpass at Eason Boulevard near the Cooper Tire facility.
The money will also be used to change the location of the railroad switching operation away from Crosstown and for the development of railway quiet zones and the installation of safety features.
“These improvements will positively impact every resident, business owner and visitor to Tupelo by creating better access to critical services, reducing traffic congestion at Crosstown and decreasing noise from train traffic,” Mayor Todd Jordan said. “We anticipate the quiet zone will also result in increased redevelopment within Tupelo’s Historic Mill Village District and other neighborhoods along the BNSF railway.”
$1.4 million will be used for the planning of a 20-mile expansion of the Tanglefoot Trail from New Albany to Ripley. The recreational trail spans 43 miles from Houston to New Albany.
More than $12.5 million will be used in Yazoo City to build a train station, develop a stormwater park and for bike lanes, broadband and stormwater management.