Project to widen I-55 south of Jackson to conclude this summer

Published 2:26 pm Saturday, June 2, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A long-running project to widen 7 miles of Interstate 55 south of Mississippi’s capital city is wrapping up.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation says the expansion running south from Jackson to Byram is on schedule and should conclude by late summer.

Southbound traffic has switched to newly constructed lanes, meaning vehicles are no longer traveling head-to-head on one side of the new highway.

Subscribe to our free email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

Crews continue to work on paving the newly constructed southbound lanes and ramps. Work to reconstruct sections of the frontage roads is underway.

Work on the widening began in 2013, but stalled in 2015 after crews discovered soil and retaining wall problems. After further delays, W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia won an $85 million bid to complete work.