Drivers along I-55 who are nearing the Gluckstadt exit and taking the exit find themselves in the dark after the sun goes down.
The lights are set to be replaced as part of a project to widen I-55 from four to six lanes between Mississippi 463 and Gluckstadt Road and that’s why they have not been repaired, said Gluckstadt Mayor Walter Morrison.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation installed the lights and Gluckstadt maintains them, he said.
The project to widen I-55 between Mississippi 463 and Gluckstadt Road also includes constructing ramps that will connect with the Reunion Parkway bridge to give drivers another entrance and exit off the interstate and help alleviate traffic congestion.
The Reunion Parkway bridge opened to traffic on Nov. 14, 2025, but the Department of Transportation will not allow ramps to be added at the bridge until I-55 is widened.
Sen. Walter Michel (District 25-Hinds and Madison) hopes funding for the widening project will be included in a special projects bill, which typically comes together the last 10 days of the session. The Legislature is set to adjourn the week of April 5.
A special projects bill is not a given, however. Last year, the Legislature adjourned without funding such a bill.
Earlier this year, a bill to fund the widening project passed in the Senate but never made it out of committee in the House.
To take the politics out of funding, MDOT provides the Legislature with a list of the most needed road projects in the state, and the I-55 project tops the list, Michel said.
The Legislature funded the widening of I-55 in DeSoto County and the widening of Highway 7 in Lafayette County, and the I-55 widening between Madison and Gluckstadt is now at the top of the list.
By prioritizing the needs, MDOT can do some of the pre-planning, design work and get information about utility relocations and rights-of-way, Michel said.
The stretch of I-55 between Madison and Gluckstadt is well traveled, according to the Department of Transportation, which estimates its daily use at an average of 69,000 vehicles.
During the last decade, the Gluckstadt area has seen significant growth, resulting in traffic delays many mornings for travelers on I-55.
