Drive along the Riverside Drive construction zone and check out near Myrtle Street the array of 18-inch and 36-inch pipes as well as the huge concrete catch basins for the storm drainage system that await installation.
“You can see where a lot of the cost of this project is going,” said Pete Perry, a member of the One Percent Sales Tax Commission. “It’s putting in a lot of water lines, a lot of sewer lines. It’s not just paving a street.”
The installation of a new 18-inch waterline on the south side of Riverside Drive from Myrtle Street to Peachtree Streets appears to be complete, he said. Storm drains are being installed on the south side of Riverside, he said.
The One Percent Sales Tax Commission is footing the bill for the extensive, $12-million project, which includes digging up the street, hauling in new dirt, replacing major water lines, repairing the sewer and storm drainage and repaving.
Hemphill Construction is the contractor for the project.
The 36-inch line that will be installed on the north side of Riverside Drive originates at the water treatment plant at the waterworks curve, extends to Peachtree Street where it turns and extends to Woodrow Wilson Drive, and the 18-inch line originates at the water treatment plant and extends to the water tower on Riverside Drive.
The live oaks that line the median of Riverside Drive are not to blame for the needed repairs, Perry said. Leaking water lines and Yazoo clay are the culprits, he said.
Plans are to remove only trees on Riverside Drive that are dead. The trees date to 1954 when they were planted by the Hedermans, a long-time Jackson family.
Roger Parrott, Ph.D., president of Belhaven University, praised the project for preserving the trees.
“We’re especially thankful for those who worked so hard to find a design that would save the trees, and the unique distinctive nature of this important street,” he said.
A corridor relied upon by neighborhood residents, students at Belhaven University, Millsaps College, Bailey APAC Middle School, Wells APAC Elementary School and Murrah High School as well as other drivers, Riverside Drive is used by about 4,300 travelers daily.
That’s according to the 2019 average annual daily traffic count from the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The traffic count relies on 48 hours of data and is adjusted using factors such as day of the week and the season of the year.
Riverside Drive has needed repairs for 20 years, but they have been delayed because of the expense of the project, said Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward 7.
The One Percent Sales Tax Commission approved the reconstruction project in 2015 but the project went nowhere because of a lack of funding.
Perry said the last time Riverside Drive was reworked was 25 years ago.
The One Percent Sales Tax Commission oversees revenue collected by the 1 percent sales tax to fund capital projects, reconstruction/resurfacing projects, water/sewer and drainage projects.
