MDOT announces possible lane closures for Labor Day weekend travel

JACKSON, MISS., Thursday, September 02, 2010—As motorists are preparing to travel this Labor Day weekend, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) urges motorists to buckle up for safety and remember to properly utilize child-restraint safety seats.

To plan your travel in advance, MDOT would like to announce to the traveling public possible lane closures that you might encounter while traveling through the state.

District One Lane Closures:

–        Highway 45 in Lowndes County from U.S. 82 to just south of State Route 182, the southbound two lanes are closed and two way traffic has been placed on the northbound lanes.

–        One lane will be closed on Highway 4 in Tishomingo County across the waterway bridge.

–        We will have a lane closure on U.S. 78 in Union County near the State Route 9 north interchange at Blue Springs.

 

There will be no holiday lane closures in District Two.

District Three Lane Closures:

–        Rest Areas in Copiah County both southbound and northbound lanes will be closed due to construction.

–        I-55 from Crystal Springs to the Hinds County line could possibly have lane closures in both southbound and northbound lanes.

–        Rest Area in Holmes County at West, Miss., northbound lane only will be closed due to construction.

–        U.S. 49 in Madison County both southbound and northbound lanes, multiple lane closures in this nine (9) mile section of Highway.  Traffic is detoured for bridge construction on the north end of this project and is currently head to head two way traffic.  Concrete median barriers are in place.

–        U.S. 82 at the Mississippi River Bridge, no actual lane closures but traffic control devices are in place to direct traffic movements in this area.

–        U.S. 82 bypass in Washington County, lane closures in place on Highway 1 of this project.

District Five Lane Closures:

–        District Five will have no lane closures in the Jackson Metro Area during the Labor Day Weekend.  There will be no work performed on the Monday (Holiday).

–        District Five will have the following potential lane closures in other areas of the District on the Friday proceeding the weekend and the Tuesday after the Holiday.

–        Highway 19 north of State Route 494 to Collinsville/Lauderdale Road in Lauderdale County.

–        U.S. 45 south of Meridian in Clarke and Lauderdale Counties.

–        U.S. Highway 80 south of I-20 in Lauderdale County.

–        I-20/I-59 in Lauderdale County, a lane shift is in place between Highway 39 and Highway 45.

–        I-20 between mile marker 119 and 65th Avenue.

–        Overlay on Highway 43 from south of I-20 to U.S. Highway 80 in Rankin County.

–        The outside westbound lane of I-20 between mile marker 117 and mile marker 115  in Newton County near Hickory, Mississippi will be closed due to bridge repair.

District Six Lane Closures:

–        I-59 Bridge Widening in Laurel, the outside lanes northbound and southbound will be closed from 4th Avenue to Highway 84 allowing only one lane of traffic in either direction.

District Seven Lane Closures:

–        There will be possible lane closures on U.S. 84 for the slide repair project in Lawrence County between Highway 27 and Old Highway 27 at Monticello.

–        Highway 33 new passing lane project north of Gloster in Amite County.  There will be concrete barriers along the edge of the road, however there will be no lane closures.

–        Intersection Reconstruction at U.S. 61 and Devereux Drive in Natchez in Adams County.  There will be concrete barriers along the edge of the road, but no lane closures in place.

MDOT would also like to remind motorists to drive safely when traveling through Mississippi highway work zones and adhere to the speed limit.  Senate Bill 2777 was passed in April 2004, which allows for the doubling of fines when motorists are speeding in Mississippi work zones.

MDOT also encourages motorists who will be traveling during the holiday to make sure they are well rested and alert.  MDOT offers the following safe driving tips to the traveling public.

Never drink and drive.

Always buckle up for safety.

Pay full attention to the highway-avoid distractions such as cell phones and texting.

Always use the proper signals.

Check your tires and fluid level.

Be courteous.

Watch out for work zones.

Remember that motorists are expected to move-over for all emergency vehicles on state highways in order to protect emergency personnel.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation wishes everyone a safe and Happy Holiday weekend.

For the most up-to-date information in your area, please visit www.MSTraffic.com and sign up for your traffic alerts.  Also, visit http://www.mstraffic.com/mobile to get the latest traffic information from MSTraffic.com on your mobile device. MDOT advises the public to pull off the road to a safe location if you need to check the MSTraffic.com website while driving. MDOT’s number one concern is the safety of the traveling public.