Will I-10 be ready if Floridians evacuate Helene? See latest South MS construction updates
By Martha Sanchez,
11 days ago
Floridians driving west on Interstate 10 to evacuate a predicted hurricane strike this week will face three construction projects that have snarled traffic for months in South Mississippi.
Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to hit Florida’s panhandle or Big Bend region as a Category 3 hurricane on Thursday. The storm is not currently threatening Mississippi, but it could bring dangerous winds and more than 10 feet of storm surge to parts of the Florida coast. That could push thousands of Florida residents to evacuate.
Drivers could encounter several lane closures this week if they reach Mississippi.
Here’s the latest on each I-10 construction project.
While ground crew looks on from below and a monitor watches from above, T. L. Wallace employees dismantle the catwalk used to support workers installing the side walls of the new Menge Avenue overpass near the Buc-ee’s travel center in Harrison County. The bridge and Exit 24 were redesigned and rebuilt to accommodate the traffic going to Buc-ee’s and other business that will follow. Courtesy of James Randolph
Buc-ee’s construction in Harrison County
A project that will widen the Menge Avenue overpass near the future Buc-ee’s Travel Center off I-10 will end this fall, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.
No lane closures associated with the project are expected this week, said Anna Ehrgott, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Work on the overpass is done, she said. But the bridge is still closed, and crews are working this week to build roundabouts and approaches to the bridge. They are also paving ramps.
MDOT has not announced when the bridge will open. Buc-ee’s has said it plans to open next spring.
Crews pave the westbound shoulder of Interstate 10 as part of one of several construction projects in progress on the Mississippi Coast thoroughfare. Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Transportation
I-10 expansion on MS Coast
MDOT is also widening I-10 from four to six lanes in Hancock and Harrison counties. Construction extends from Diamondhead to County Farm Road.
Lane closures are planned three nights this week as part the project, Ehrgott said.
On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, drivers should expect lane closures near the Wolf River bridge. An eastbound lane will close Tuesday night and a westbound lane will close Wednesday night, Ehrgott said.
On Thursday night, MDOT will close a westbound lane near the Kiln-Delisle Road and Vidalia Road bridges.
The I-10 east ramps at Kiln-Delisle Exit 20 will also close Thursday night for paving.
Closures will run from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Ehrgott said the plans could change. Latest updates on lane closures are posted to the MDOT Traffic app and MDOTtraffic.com .
“If a tropical storm or hurricane is expected to impact the state, MDOT will reschedule any construction work involving closures and open roadways as much as possible to increase traffic capacity,” she said in a statement.
Crews are building new lanes in the existing median and widening the outside shoulder. The project will widen three bridges, and crews are also installing digital message signs and traffic cameras on the interstate.
The $155 million project will last through 2027.
Construction near Diamondhead
MDOT is also reconstructing the interchange at Exit 16 in Diamondhead.
The Diamondhead exit on eastbound I-10 recently opened to traffic. Crews will close the westbound entrance ramp in mid-October, Ehrgott said.
Crews are also widening the ramps and overpass, and will build three roundabouts and a multi-use path. The $17 million project will last until 2026.
Drivers should also expect alternating lane closures from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday over the Jourdan River bridge on I-10. Crews are inspecting the bridge, Ehrgott said.
An image provided by the Mississippi Department of Transportation shows three future roundabouts planned for the Diamondhead interchange off I-10. The agency is building three roundabouts and adding another multi-use path on the overpass that will connect bike and golf cart traffic across the north and south sides of Diamondhead by 2026. Mississippi Department of Transportation
please fix our towns problems around the interstate and roads near them and also all the other roads I understand the expansion it's hurricane season has gotten worse but why is the focus not to finish one area at a time just saying...
Johnny Five
11d ago
please the rocks cause problems and even if the warning is ahead people speed thru it or I've even called policed because people stopped to take one
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