Madison County: Weisenberg bridge plan sent to MDOT; Bozeman Road closed seven days ahead of school

Madison County transportation staff reported that the final project document for the Weisenberg bridge will be submitted to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) tomorrow, following a public hearing on June 30 and a two‑week comment period that closed last Friday, an agency official said.

The update came during a routine project briefing in which the agency official said design work has progressed in parallel with outreach and that the county hopes to complete preliminary design and hold a field review with MDOT by the end of the year. “We had our public hearing, went well,” the agency official said.

Why it matters: the Weisenberg work requires structural changes that affect traffic and schedule. The official said the bridge must be raised about 5 feet and lengthened about 100 feet for hydraulic reasons, which will complicate building while keeping the route open. Right‑of‑way acquisition, once begun, is expected to take about a year and could influence when the county can move into construction.

The county is also awaiting the outcome of a competitive SS 4 grant process that could fund intersection improvements at Highway 51 and Weisenberg. The agency official said the county submitted an application a few months ago and that selections are expected in November; roughly two projects per state are typically selected. The official noted that having few fatalities in the corridor — positive for safety — can nevertheless weaken a grant application that weights crash severity in scoring.

Utility relocations emerged as the program’s key timing risk. The agency official identified Entergy as a critical path: Entergy is purchasing its own right of way adjacent to the county’s and must complete its relocations before the county can begin major construction. “They’re the critical path of us going to construction,” the agency official said, adding that other utilities still require relocation and that county staff have been meeting with Entergy and pushing for progress.

Bozeman Road closure and progress: the agency official announced a planned seven‑day full closure of Bozeman Road from today through the 27th to complete work before the school year begins on the 30th. “We are shutting the road down for 7 days from today till the 27th,” the official said, adding that Hemphill is the contractor and that the project is roughly 65–70% complete. The closure aims to speed work and improve safety, the official said.

Remaining right‑of‑way and schedule: most parcels for the project’s right‑of‑way have been acquired, the official said, but about three or four parcels still need final offers after recent adjustments; appraisals are complete and offers are expected within about a month. Contractually, current work has a completion window that stretches to May next year, though the county said it may finish sooner and is cautious about committing the contractor to an earlier date.

Next steps: the county will submit the final Weisenberg document to MDOT and await MDOT approval to close that project stage. If the SS 4 grant is not awarded in November, officials said they will need to identify alternative steps or funding for intersection work on Highway 51. Staff and the chair agreed to meet with Entergy and other partners to press for timely utility relocations and refine scheduling for phase 2 once phase 1 is complete.

The briefing concluded with county leaders agreeing to follow up on Yandell Road relocations and on options if grant funding is not secured.