One of the busiest stretches of roadway in the state should see less congestion thanks to a part of Lakeland Drive opening all its six lanes Monday.
The Highway 25/Lakeland Drive expansion project, which began construction in 2015, adds additional lanes on both sides of Lakeland stretching between Airport and Grants Ferry Roads.
The project also expands a bridge over Flowood Drive and improves major intersection configurations, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The Mississippi Legislature in 2014 assigned $10 million out of MDOT’s budget to the project. Byram-based Superior Asphalt Inc. started project construction in October 2015 under a roughly $36.3 million contract.
MDOT says the project also added safety improvements, including a fiber optic line extension to improve video camera traffic monitoring and technology that adjusts traffic signal timings and monitors traffic volume to improve traffic flow under changing conditions.
“The Annual Average Daily Traffic for Lakeland Drive from Airport Road to Grants Ferry Road is almost 40,000 vehicles,” said Mississippi Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall in a statement Monday. “…The completion of this project will help everyone get where they are going quicker and safer.”
Crews are still completing medians and shoulders on Lakeland Drive, MDOT says.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
