Mississippi to fund study of I-20/59 exit

By By Terry R. Cassreino / assistant managing editor
June 3, 2004
A mistake by the Mississippi Department of Transportation will leave the state not the federal government funding an environmental study of a proposed interchange to the Interstate 20/59 Industrial Park.
And at least two Meridian city councilmen, Barbara Henson and Bobby Smith, said they were upset they learned about the problem second-hand and not directly from Mayor John Robert Smith.
Mayor Smith said he usually talks with Henson, the city council president. He said he didn't feel a need to contact councilmen about the issue because it was resolved positively and "there was no urgency to it."
At issue is an environmental study Engineering Associates of Jackson is conducting of a possible location for an interstate interchange to serve the new industrial park.
Engineers originally chose a site at Hawkins Crossing near the Bonita Lakes area, a few miles west of the park. They also are studying another site near Sweet Gum Bottom Road.
City and state officials had expected federal money to fund the cost of the environmental study, which is a necessary first step before deciding a final site and beginning actual construction.
Funding problems
Problems, however, surfaced about three months ago.
Harry Lee James, MDOT's deputy executive director-chief engineer, said his agency learned "sometime in March" that the Federal Highway Administration likely would not fund the environmental study.
Jeff Kolb, assistant division administrator with the Federal Highway Administration in Jackson, said the reason was simple: The FHWA didn't approve Engineering Associates' contract in advance.
Kolb said his agency expected MDOT to submit any contracts for the project before they were signed.
State Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall said MDOT accepts blame for the mishap and will foot the bill for the environmental study. He said Meridian will not have to pay anything.
Hall said federal money will remain available for the rest of the I-20/59 interchange project and that work will continue as planned.
Councilmen's criticism
The interstate interchange funding problems marked the latest criticism of the city administration from Councilmen Henson and Smith.
Both held a news conference in January, when they said they were frustrated work hadn't begun on a $6 million project to improve streets even though the city borrowed the money in August 2003.
Work began in May, nearly nine months after the city received the loan.
Henson, the Ward 3 councilman, said she learned about the interchange financing problems from a resident she declined to identify. She said she told the mayor she was upset she learned about it third-hand.
After seeing correspondence the mayor had concerning the project, she said, she felt better.
Councilman Jesse Palmer Sr. of Ward 4 said he learned about the financing problems from Henson. Palmer said he spoke with the mayor and has no problems with the way the issue was handled.
Councilmen George Thomas of Ward 1 and Mary Perry of Ward 2 did not return phone calls.
Councilman Smith said the council should be kept informed about the status of all important issues and avoid finding out about problems after the fact and from third-party sources.