U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced on July 11 the approval of a $21.3 million federal grant to fund a major infrastructure project aimed at improving safety and traffic flow at a critical intersection in Simpson County.
The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD (Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development) grant program, will support the “Enhancing Safety and Mobility on US 49 and MS-13 in Simpson County” project.
The grant was secured with the backing of Senator Hyde-Smith, who serves as chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Hyde-Smith advocated for the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) application in a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“The BUILD grant program is very competitive, so I’m grateful that this project in Mendenhall will receive funding to plan and construct a project to remake the US 49 and MS-13 interchange,” Hyde-Smith said. “This project will make travelling through this area safer and more efficient.”
The scope of the project includes replacing two aging bridges on U.S. Highway 49 over Mississippi Highway 13 to increase vertical clearance. To accomplish this, crews will excavate and lower MS-13. In addition, the interchanges between US 49 and MS-13 will be redesigned as modern roundabouts, which are proven to reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes.
Hyde-Smith and other subcommittee members are currently drafting the FY2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which will be reviewed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee later this summer.
Simpson County is also set to undergo a series of other critical traffic safety improvements in 2025, following a recent meeting between Southern District Transportation Commissioner Charles Busby, MDOT District Engineer Albert White, Representative Price Wallace, Senator Andy Berry, and other local leaders.
One major change will be the closure of the intersection at Highway 49 and Highway 540 in Mendenhall, a long-standing area of concern due to limited visibility from its location atop a hill. MDOT plans to replace the intersection with J-turns on both northbound and southbound lanes to improve safety and reduce collisions. White confirmed that upgrades will be made to Highway 149 to accommodate increased traffic diverted from the closure.
Another change will affect East Street in Mendenhall, where the intersection will be modified to allow only left turns from the northbound lane of Highway 49. South- bound drivers will need to use a new J-turn being installed at the base of the hill.
Infrastructure enhancements will also include acceleration lanes and bulb outs to assist large trucks and agricultural vehicles.
In Magee, MDOT plans to close the intersection at Highway 49 and Siloam Road to restrict it to left turns only. A new traffic signal will be installed at the Shell station just south of Siloam Road — a location that has seen numerous accidents due to its awkward intersection angle.
Commissioner Busby emphasized the importance of addressing safety hazards. “The whole purpose of MDOT’s existence is to maintain the assets that we have and protect the citizens,” he said. “When we have situations like we have here — where these intersections have posed a liability for the citizens over a long period of time — and people losing their life is totally unacceptable. We’ve got to make a move to fix these situations, and that’s what this is.”
Looking ahead, Busby noted that his office continues to gather input from citizens, boards of supervisors, and city councils throughout the 27 counties in his district.
Addressing long-term funding challenges, Busby said MDOT is facing a $400 million annual deficit to maintain Mississippi’s $6.5 billion highway system. “We’re working with the legislature now and hopefully we’ll be in a situation where they can afford to put more money into this and find the recurring revenue streams that we can depend on every year,” he said. “I think we are making some strides in that direction.”
The investments mark a significant commitment from state and federal leaders to enhance transportation safety and support economic development across Simpson County.
