Garver says Stribling Road right-of-way work nearly complete; construction eyed for late 2027

Shannon Wells of engineering firm Garver updated the meeting on progress for the Stribling Road project, saying preliminary right-of-way drawings are about 95% complete, title work has begun and the team expects a nationwide permit in April.

The project covers roughly two miles from Highway 463 to just west of Duis Road. Wells said the preliminary-level right-of-way drawings are sufficient to begin property acquisition and utility relocation work, which she described as the controlling items for the schedule.

"We're about 95% complete with the right of way drawings," Wells said. She added that title work is underway and that the team has identified nearly every parcel that will be affected and begun survey research.

Wells described coordination with the Mississippi Department of Transportation on a related signal project at 463 and Stribling Road, saying the signal letting has been delayed by utility relocations and is now targeted for a spring letting with construction likely in late summer or early fall. That project could overlap with Stribling Road construction, she said, making coordination on the west end critical.

On a proposed alternate connection for Hartfield Subdivision, Wells said MDOT "strongly discouraged" the southwest-corner connection option and the team eliminated that alternative following November meetings.

Wells estimated the team will need to acquire about 32 parcels owned by roughly 20 different owners and said the approach will be to take only what is needed to keep costs down. "It's about 32 parcels, probably about 20 different owners," she said.

She said the team will provide a preliminary opinion of construction costs before the April update and expects by April to have title work complete and to be starting appraisals so appraisal and ROW acquisition can run in parallel.

On schedule, Wells said the plan is likely to advertise for bids in late 2027 and, assuming utility relocation progresses within about a year, construction could start in late 2027 or, weather permitting, in early 2028.

Participants confirmed the next regular project updates are scheduled for April and July, with the immediate quarterly update on April 20. Wells noted a meeting with Hartfield scheduled later in the week to refine connection options.

The presentation closed with questions about which right-of-way acquisition agents firms are using; Wells said her team is using Right of Way Technology and was unsure who other engineers are using. The meeting moved on after attendees thanked Wells for the briefing.