Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
Mississippi receives $15.4M in transportation infrastructure investments
By Brent Addleman | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A new infrastructure investment is coming to Mississippi.
Three grants, totaling $15.4 million, have been designated to support three transportation projects and were awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity grant program, administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-MS, said.
Funding will support projects in Yazoo City, Tupelo and Ripley, according to the release.
“These grants will help several important projects move forward across our state,” Wicker said in a release. “Yazoo City will soon see a major investment in revitalizing their downtown, and both Tupelo and Ripley have secured support to begin planning to reduce congestion and improve quality of life in their communities.”
In Yazoo City, according to the release, $12.6 million will be used to build a train station, create a stormwater park, and redevelop city streets to include bike lanes, broadband, and stormwater management.
“Each of the proposals put forth by these cities offer great potential for improving the quality of life for their residents, through improved public safety, better infrastructure, and more economic opportunities,” U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS, said in the release.
Tupelo, according to the release, will receive $1.452 million for its RAIL Improvements Program. The funding will be put towards engineering and planning that will build a highway overpass at the Kansas City Southern Crossing at Easton Boulevard. The project also encompasses a change of location for the switching operation away from the Main and Gloster streets intersection. Quiet zones will also be created, and new safety features will be incorporated into the project.
In Ripley, according to the release, $1.4 million has been earmarked for the Tanglefoot Trail Extension, a 20-mile potential expansion of the rail from New Albany to Ripley.