Residents press Washington County to fix hazardous roads tied to MDOT bypass work

A county resident told the Washington County Board of Supervisors that dangerous road conditions around Johnson Road and nearby routes are creating an immediate public-safety hazard and demanded rapid repairs and communications about timelines.

Ashley Lowe, who said she was speaking for her father and other residents, told the board that parts of Johnson Road (the branch adjacent to the VFW) lack lighting, have failing patches that become ditches after rain and force residents — many elderly — to drive long detours because of closures such as at Flanagan Road. "Residents in this county, particularly those in my father's census block, can't afford to wait for an indefinite promise of progress while bare roads remain hazardous today," Lowe said, asking the board to allocate funding for repairs, install lighting, ensure proper drainage and provide a public timeline for work.

County staff and supervisors said they have been working with the Mississippi Department of Transportation on the bypass project and documented roadway damage. Clay Norris, a county road department official, said MDOT project manager Andy McNair toured affected county roads with county staff, logged mileage and prepared notes. Norris and other staff said MDOT acknowledged the county roads were in poor condition and agreed to discuss repairs with the county.

Supervisors said they plan to ask MDOT to present to the board a list of the roads MDOT inspected and a schedule for restoration. The board directed staff to compile and expand the list of damaged roads for MDOT and to pursue setting up a work order and account to begin county repairs where appropriate. The board also scheduled its annual road inspection for April 21 and said it would press MDOT and the project's contractor on timing as the bypass moves toward later paving stages.

County staff said MDOT is about 50% complete on the bypass base coat and will return to finish layers; they also said guardrails and bridge railings are being installed by MDOT. Supervisors and staff discussed drainage failures, developer-built road sections that were later taken into county maintenance, and the need to prioritize drainage repairs before paving so repairs hold.

The board promised to invite an MDOT engineer to present a formal plan and timeline for restoration of county roads damaged by the bypass project and said staff would notify residents, including Lowe, when that meeting is scheduled.

Ending: The board did not adopt an ordinance or formal contract at the meeting but directed staff to compile the damage list, ask MDOT to present a repair plan, create work orders for immediate safety fixes where possible, and to schedule an upcoming inspection and follow-up meeting with MDOT. Residents asked the board to provide an explicit timeline when those plans are available.