None of the current players were in the room twenty years ago when local leaders along with state and federal officials collaboratively signed off to construct a Highway 82 bypass for the purpose of routing large freight type traffic around Greenville. The ambitious and expensive endeavor received some initial work but lay dormant until the Central District Transportation Commissioner took office a couple of years ago. During the Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, September 5, Earl Glenn project manager for the bypass informed the county’s governing body that the bypass was 50 percent complete and ready to go into phase two of the “largest MDOT project in the last ten years,” according to Simmons. As this portion of the project is completed it encompasses interchange and frontage roads at Highway 1, VFW Road, and Paxton in Greenville and one in Leland. The off ramps for the bypass are at Highway 1, Highway 82, and Highway 454. “I understand the frontage roads but a lot of people don’t have access to the frontage roads,” said Carl McGee, President of the Washington County Board of Supervisors. “And we’re not happy with that at all. We want MDOT to do what they did in Rankin County or along Highway 49 where you can’t drive 200 yards without there being some access point to get onto and off of the highway. And there is no future for us if you treat us like this for the development of hotels, restaurants, and gas stations-just desolate land.”
Residents in the southern part of Greenville have a multitude of gripes about the bypass creating a situation where they would need to go several miles out of their way to get to their homes and businesses along the impacted area. Commissioner Simmons explained that this agreement was struck between state, federal and local authorities and to change the project design could halt it all together.
“Even if we go through and finish the project as designed, could we come back and put in more off ramps?” inquired District 1 Supervisor Lee Gordon.
Glenn replied, “That involves purchasing of people’s property which could kill or delay the project for another two years. This would include an environmental study and pre-construction work.”
District 4 Supervisor Mala Brooks, like her fellow county leaders, expressed concerns about considering other inlets to Highway 82 (Johnson Road, Black Bayou, or VFW) and having roadways impacted by construction built back better than their original state. Commissioner Simmons said, “We hear you loud and clear. But let me remind you that of all the counties in the district that I represent, Washington County gets the most money.” McGee replied, “Don’t stop now!”
Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons perceives the bypass for the most part as a done deal and has been trying to maximize the economic benefits for the city. “I’ve been talking to the commission about signage,” Mayor Simmons said. “We want to put signage out near Harlow to direct traffic into the city about Chick-Fil-A, Goodwill, Jack’s, and other businesses. “We definitely have a public safety concern about freight traffic but we also want all other traffic coming through Greenville for economic concerns.”
While he had the ear of the Commissioner, District 5 Supervisor Jerry Redmond asked for additional lighting near Simmons High School and possibly a traffic light and four- way stop to be installed at the Highway 1/Highway 12 intersection.
· During a public hearing held later that evening the BOS voted 3-0 (Gordon, McGee and Brooks) to adopt a proposed of $45, 590, 345.92 for the upcoming fiscal year with 53.39% ($24,342,821) being revenue from ad valorem tax.
· The BOS kept the same millage rate of 67.21 (the current rate) with one mill seat aside for the operation of the Washington County Sportsplex.
