The start of construction on improvements to Meadowbrook Road is “probably a couple of months away,” according to the city of Jackson city engineer.
Charles Williams, city engineer, said some of the project documents are being finalized. A pre-construction meeting with the contractor, Hemphill Construcrion Co., will be held in the “next couple of weeks” to determine where on Meadowbrook Road construction will start, he said.
Pete Perry, a member of the One Percent Sales Tax Commission that is providing some funding for the project, said the project is similiar to another one nearby that was recently completed.
“It’s going to be a whole lot like the work done on Old Canton Road,” he said.
The Jackson City Council awarded Hemphill Construction Co. the bid to rework Meadowbrook Road from I-55 to West Street last October.
Hemphill’s bid of $3.31 million was the lowest for the project that will include repairs to the road base, spot curb and gutter repair and milling and overlay.
As part of the project, Meadowbrook Road will be reduced from four lanes to three lanes to make room for an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible, multi-use path west of Manhattan Road. The multi-use path will be like the one on Old Canton Road in Fondren.
Seventy-five percent of the funding for the project will come from federal funds and 25 percent from the city’s 1 percent sales tax. Because of the federal funding, the Mississippi Department of Transportation must sign off on the project.
EJES Inc. will perform construction engineering and inspections for the project at a cost not to exceed $253,728.15.
Meadowbrook between Old Canton Road and North State is riddled with potholes and utility cuts, and motorists often must swerve to miss running into the worst crevasses.
The roadway is traveled by about 10,000 vehicles a day, according to Mississippi Department of Transportation traffic count maps.
According to data from a 2013 street survey, the majority of Meadowbrook Road between State Street and the interstate was listed in “poor” condition, with only one section that had not gone beyond its serviceable life.
The road study was conducted by Stantec Consulting Services in 2013. Data was not released until early 2017. Stantec evaluated all lane miles of roadway in the capital city, and rated the roadways using specialized equipment.
Between North State and Kings Highway, Meadowbrook Road had three years of remaining life, while between Childress Drive and Old Canton, the street had zero to two years of remaining life, the study showed.
Earlier this year, a sewer project for a portion of Meadowbrook Road west of I-55 North wrapped up. Part of the road was closed for quite some time after a major sewer line collapsed.
