Mississippi: SR 57 Reconstruction

A New Four-lane Highway to Spur Growth and Increase Safety
 

Challenge: What do you do when economic growth and increased traffic collide, jeopardizing student safety? You turn a two-lane highway into a four-lane route. That’s how the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is handling the problem of people trying to get to work and school, as the traffic in front of Vancleave High School on Highway 57 progressively worsens. 

Solution: Road work is underway on Highway 57 in a $212.6 million project – funded in part with just over $80 million in formular funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) – that aims to widen the road in Vancleave. According to MDOT, a portion of the project involves widening SR 57 from two to four lanes along the existing route from I-10 to Gautier-Vancleave Road. From Gautier-Vancleave Road to the Lake O’Pines area, a new four-lane alignment for SR 57 is under construction, which will bypass Vancleave elementary, middle, and high schools. The project will alleviate congestion in the area and expand the capacity of the roadway, which is a hurricane evacuation route.  

What they’re saying: “The traffic is backed up really bad. You hear a lot of complaints. You can’t make everybody happy, but I think in the long run it’s so beneficial. It’s putting us on the map. We’re growing.” – BJ’s Cafe owner Amy Byrd Williams (WXXV-25, 01/24/2024). 

Photo Credit: MDOT