Thursday, November 28, 2024

Highway 80 Closing Soon

 The Mississippi Department of Transportation issued the following announcement. 

WHO:           The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT).

WHAT:         Temporary bridge closure.

WHEN:         The closure will begin on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, and expected to remain in place through summer 2025.

WHERE:       Both directions of U.S. 80 over the Pearl River at the Hinds/Rankin County line. 

WHY:            The closure is part of a bridge rehabilitation project that entails the removal of three steel girder spans and implementation of a new bridge deck and railing.

HOW:           Drivers are encouraged to plan an alternate route around the closure using State St., I-20, U.S. 49 and other local roadsClick HERE for a map of the proposed alternate routes both U.S. 80 eastbound and westbound traffic, along with video and photos of the bridge. 

         Message boards will soon be in place to warn drivers of the upcoming closure. Stay updated at MDOTtraffic.com, download the MDOT Traffic mobile app, and follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook and X.


25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very, very poor planning by MDOT. Slowing the flow of traffic on I-55 and closing Hwy 80, you have set up rush hour disaster. People trying to get to Jackson will be severely negatively affected by this every morning. Very poor planning.

Dan Matthews said...

1) MHP will have to find another location for the holiday touch-your-nose and blow-test.

2) How will folks find Romantic Adventures?

3) How will this affect the under-the-bridge dwellers? Will Chokwe grant them free passage, compliments of City Council, to Lakeland Drive?

Did MDOT even consider these important issues?

Anonymous said...

Well, 10:19, with your engineering degree, surely you can tell us WTF else could be done in order to perform necessary repairs?

Anonymous said...

thanks for the video Kingfish. Love snoopy and woodstock. Schulz was a genius.

Anonymous said...

6 months. While in NC they are completing the same in 3 weeks.

Anonymous said...

The Chinese have invented a shovel that stands up by itself, so DOT could probably reduce the number of workers assigned to this project. They could also save money by not having to purchase as many clipboards.

Anonymous said...

Former MDOT employee here. The District 5 Bridge Inspectors, and the engineers in charge, likely found something that expedited the need for a closure and remediation. Go watch a video of a bridge collapse during rush hour and ask yourself if the "minor inconvenience" is worth it?

Anonymous said...

A couple of MDOT workers are standing around looking at the ground when one suddenly steps on a snail. The other worker asks "why did you do that?" He replied "that snail has been following me around for two days."

Anonymous said...

All you smarty pants realize that a major bridge fell down this year and killed people right?

Anonymous said...

Minor inconvenience?

Anonymous said...

They should close all roads in Jackson

Anonymous said...

@1:38 PM waiting in your comfy car in traffic is a minor convenience compared to escaping from your sinking car in the Pearl River due to a bridge collapsing. Bridges collapsing is a serious issue all over the USA right now.

Anonymous said...

If you are going downtown from rankin county you are basically screwed.

Anonymous said...

If my truck fell into the Pearl River I wouldn't want it back...

Anonymous said...

For all you engineers and MDOT employees, past and present:

The Trans-Alaskan highway was completed November 24, 1942.

That highway was 1700 miles long.

Construction began on March 9, 1942.

One thousand seven hundred miles took 7 months and 15 days.

Lean on your shovel while you consider those facts.

Safety First said...

If you plan to drive to downtown Jackson from Rankin County, you are already screwed before you crank the truck.

Anonymous said...

Another former MDOT employee here. This is prototypical MDOT. Left and and right hand working on their on respective schedules with no communication. And, I would presume that if there was imminent danger of a bridge collapse, they would have closed the bridge a month ago when they announced the project. I also presume that both I55 and Hwy 80 bridges are not imminently dangerous at the same time. If they are this is a failure to monitor and maintain over time.

Anonymous said...

Investment pro tip: Buy stock in clipboard manufacturers because MDOT will be buying 1,000s of them for this project.

Anonymous said...

7:33–Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I'm on the road all the time, a lot of that time on 55 north of Grenada to the state line at Tennessee and a lot of that time also on Highway 7 between Batesville and the west side of Marks.

Wish I had a half-dollar for every time I see a new white DOT pickup with a man sitting behind the wheel on the side of the highway. Often as many of six of them within a quarter of a mile. What are they accomplishing sitting in the trucks?

Anonymous said...

CBO Duty- Clip Board Operator

Anonymous said...

In all fairness, MDOT very likely has some dedicated hardworking employees working out in the field. It could happen.

Anonymous said...

Is the daily car count on hwy 80 between I-55 and State St. really that significant? Or, is this just another trolling bitch session?

Anonymous said...

Point is…morning rush hour, I-55N, 2 lanes, some would be using 80, but it’s closed. Accident happens on I-55, Or bridge freeze over. All rush hour traffic trying I-20 to State Street, or old Woodrow Wilson bridge to get to State Street to get past backed up or blocked I-55. Much more than a minor inconvenience. And imagine Emergency Vehicles trying to get through. I’ve seen I-20 back up past Pearl during morning rush hour. This will be daily with this setup. Lord help the commuters low on gas, or really need to pee. And not saying that to be funny, it can be very serious with us older people

Anonymous said...

Fear Not, Peeps: At least a third of us are in real good hands with Willie Simmons (Almost 60-year PERS Employee) guiding our concrete and asphalt futures.

For the guy who wants fifty cents for each employee in a white truck, I'll just take a dollar for every ribbon-cutting photo-shoot with Willie in attendance.

He can't tell you what the composition of asphalt is, but he can work that monthly expense report.


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