The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) a $52.4 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding grant.
The grant will be used to construct a four-lane highway in Itawamba County that is an 8.3-mile extension of State Route 76.
The $96 million project is the final portion of the Appalachian Development Highway System Corridor V. The corridor runs from Interstate 55 in Batesville, Miss., to Interstate 24 in Chattanooga, Tenn. It is used by the automotive and furniture industry in the mid-south, and MDOT hopes completing the project will increase economic investment and development, mobility, and connectivity.
“MDOT’s number one priority is safety,” MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath said.
“This grant will allow us to build a new four-lane route, making the highways safer and more efficient for the traveling public.”
A total of $43.6 million in state funds and other federal funding will match the grant.
MDOT plans to advertise the project for bids in the spring.
The State Route 76 project is part of more than $50 million in projects underway in northeast Mississippi.
Other projects in Itawamba County include replacing seven bridges along State Route 178 and paving four miles on Interstate 22 from State Route 25 South to State Route 25 North.