Category: <span>Road Work</span>

As Lauderdale County announced the completion of a road improvements package Thursday, work to repair additional county roads is already underway.

Meehan Savoy Road, Suqualena Meehan Road, York Road and Centerhill Martin Road are part of a State Aid Road project bid out in December. Work on the roads includes pre-leveling, chip sealing and micro sealing, said Road and Bridge Coordinator Ryan Mosley.

 

“They’re laying the base down in some of our more problem areas, rutting, cracking areas and stuff like that. They’ll be clipping the shoulders as well, getting the drainage right on it, but really just doing kind of like a base layer,” he said. “Then they’ll come through right there at the end, their last process will be whole surface treatment of it. They’ll do a chip seal and micro seal.”

The work is being done by Chris Albritton Construction, out of Laurel, for a total cost of $3.2 million. Albritton submitted the lowest and best of six bids received.

Mosley said crews are currently tackling the pre-leveling work on Meehan Savoy Road. Once that is complete the contractor can come in and pave, he said. Workers will likely be in the area for the next month or so due to the amount of base repair needed.

“We knew there was a lot of base repair on this road,” he said.

Also on the list is Centerhill Martin Road, which is heavily used by vehicles traveling to and from local schools. Mosley said Albritton is aiming to tackle that road after school lets out for the year in May.

“Everything’s going fine. No trouble so far,” he said.

Funding for the road project is coming from the county’s allotment of State Aid Program funds. Counties receive money from the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction to address roads and bridges on designated State Aid routes each board term (every four years). The funds are specifically for State Aid roads and bridges, and cannot be used for other infrastructure.

Counties also receive Local System Bridge Program, or LSBP funds, for bridges not on State Aid routes, as well as State Aid Bridge Program funds, which are a newer pot of money specifically aimed at addressing problem bridges on State Aid routes.

The Lauderdale County Road & Bridge Department is proud to announce the completion of multiple roadway improvements across the county as part of our ongoing infrastructure program.

Roadways Completed

• Newton Martin Road (4.54 miles)

• Springhill Road (3.26 miles)

• Chip Pickering Drive (2.9 miles)

• Lauderdale Road (2.0 miles)

• Luther Walker Road (0.32 miles)

• Lizelia Road (included under striping scope)

Scope of Work Completed

Each roadway received asphalt resurfacing (overlay) to restore the driving surface and extend pavement life. Final improvements included:

• Thermoplastic double yellow centerline striping

• Thermoplastic white edge line striping

• Raised pavement markers installed at consistent intervals (~40 feet)

Project Execution

• Asphalt resurfacing completed by Walters Construction Company

• Striping and reflectors installed by Image Striping Company

These improvements enhance roadway visibility, ride quality, and overall safety for residents, school transportation, and emergency services throughout Lauderdale County.

We appreciate the public’s patience during construction and remain committed to maintaining and improving infrastructure across our county.

Lauderdale County Road Department crews are working to prepare the site for the town of Marion’s new Town Hall by removing a large dirt berm from the land ahead of building construction.

County supervisors in November agreed to assist Marion with dirt removal and site grading up to $35,000 in cost. Work was delayed while the two entities waited for an interlocal agreement to be reviewed by the state Attorney General’s office.

 

Road Manager Rush Mayatt said crews began removing the dirt Friday and continued Monday with approximately 10 trucks running in a continuous cycle. The dirt is being taken to the county barn to be used for future projects.

 

“They had a big knoll here that we cut, and of course we’re hauling the dirt to one of my barns, kind of like beneficial use. About 7,000-8,000 yards that we’ve moved,” he said. “We’re basically getting this down to what I consider a rough grade for the contractor to come in and do the site work.”

 

In November, Mayatt estimated around 7,000 yards of dirt needed to hauled away before work on the town hall itself could begin. That estimate is still on track, he said Monday, however the complete amount removed will depend on what needs to be done to get the site ready.

 

Marion’s request came after bids for the town hall construction project in October came in over budget, forcing town leaders to look at ways to reduce costs. One large factor was the dirt removal and site grading, which added several hundred thousand dollars to the overall project amount.

 

In December, Marion officials awarded the Town Hall project to D&E Construction for $1.6 million. Between the dirt work and several alternate options, the project came in approximately $300,000 under original costs.

 

Mayatt estimates county workers will be at the site for another week or so, but the sooner the county can wrap up its part of the project, the sooner the contractor can come in and begin their work.