Highway 15 Project Heralded as a Boon for Economic Development
Aug 7, 2024 - Ripley, MS
by: Dennis Seid, Daily Journal
Work on the long-awaited widening of State Highway 15 in Tippah County is expected to get underway soon, a major project that has been years in the making.
While the current project won't complete the four-laning of the highway, it is a major component that will eventually lead to that. Dubbed the "Ripley Bypass," the nearly $195 million project will involve realigning some of Highway 15 and four-laning the route. The initial work will comprise grading, drainage and bridge construction.
"It will begin on the Union County side, the far end of 15, and then a parallel section will go through the Rainey Estate. Once we get past the Rainey Estate, it'll veer off and become an actual bypass and then leave the existing Highway 15 four lanes all the way to 1 mile north of Highway 4 (in Ripley)," said Matt Dunn the District 1 Engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, during a Wednesday morning ceremony at the site of the work.
This first phase of the project — and the only one funded at the moment — is one for three projects related to the long-awaited dream of having Highway 15 completely four-laned.
Dunn said the completion of this phase, which is expected to be in late 2028, will bring four-lane traffic back into Ripley. The second phase, once funded and completed, will connect at the point north of Ripley to Walnut.
The significance of this project is that it benefits existing economic development projects and existing businesses, and also brings in new businesses into Tippah County, officials said.
"It will serve Tippah County, but also serve Union County and all the surrounding counties in the region," Dunn said.
Brad White, MDOT Executive Director, said the realignment of Highway 15 will provide a different footprint for the road that will benefit everyone.
"It'll be a four-lane divided highway that will move traffic in a much more safe and efficient manner," he said. "We also have similar work going on 15 though Union County and eventually Pontotoc County. It's part of an overall regional project if you will ... we hope that eventually you'll see projects like this up a and down the 15 corridor where we'll have a complete four-laning of 15."
Rep. Jody Steverson, who represents Tippah and Alcorn counties in District 4 in the state legislature, said updating the infrastructure plays a vital role in economic development, tourism and a community's quality of life.
Sharing the stage with him at the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday was the state's top leadership, including Gov. Tate Reeves, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Secretary of State Michael Watson and House Speaker Jason White. Former Speaker Phillip Gunn also flanked Steverson, who credited and thanked them all for their help in pushing through the project.
"This marks a significant milestone for Tippah County," Steverson said. "The long-awaiting four-laning of Highway 15 has been a topic of anticipation for a decade ... once this four-lane project is complete, it will significantly improve the lives of Tippah County residents, workers and the traveling public. Commuting times will be reduced, making our lives more manageable. It will enhance safety ... and it will also allow more business and economic development opportunities."
Speaker White said the billions of dollars in economic development projects announced statewide in recent years are dependent on an infrastructure that can support them. Projects like the Highway 15 four-lane project are essential.
"These projects will only go as far and robust as our in fracture will allow them to be," he said.
MDOT Northern District Commissioner John Caldwell said Highway 15 is a "modern benchmark of us revitalizing and even resuscitating a capacity project that was basically on life support."
Reeves said the widening of Highway 15 is good for the economic development projects in all of north Mississippi. He also credited the work of the leadership of the state and the legislature, as well as local officials who work to attract new industry and business.
"You ain't seen nothing yet," he told the crowd. "This widening of Highway 15 is yet another example of projects that certainly have local appeal and certainly important to Tippah County, but it's just another cog in the strategy of investing in our state, investing in our people and our people investing in our communities."