Construction to rehab South Wheatley Street from Lake Harbour Drive to Towne Center Boulevard in Ridgeland is expected to get under way next week.
Hemphill Construction will begin work on Jan. 19 on the project that will take about nine months to complete.
Construction will occur in phases and will require temporary lane closures throughout most of the project. Detour signage will be in place during each phase to help guide motorists safely through the area.
Wheatley Street between Lake Harbour Drive and County Line Road is functionally classified as a collector roadway, serving around 6,000 vehicles per day, said Ridgeland Mayor Gene F. McGee. That segment of Wheatley Street has a pavement condition score of 66 out of a possible 100, he said.
“This section of Wheatley Street was widened to its current 30-foot width in 1989 and resurfaced in 2004 and 2015,” McGee said. “The right-of-way width is 50-feet for the entire project length. In the last nine years the road has suffered significant subgrade failures as a result of expansive soils and failing underground pipes.”
The project will repair underground drainage and sewer lines, reconstruct the street and add a six-foot sidewalk on the southbound side of the road.
Hemphill Construction Co. will do the work on the project that is estimated to cost $2,831,086.
A $3 million grant from Madison County and a $487,000 American Rescue Plan Act funds transfer from Madison County will pay for the work, McGee said.
Wheatley Street needs repair all the way from County Line Road to School Street, which is past Lake Harbour Drive, he said.
The section of Wheatley Street from Lake Harbour Drive to McCormack Drive is most in need of work, McGee said.
From Towne Center Boulevard to Lake Harbour Drive, the scope of work increases to reconstruction due to the road’s poor subgrade soil conditions, he said, and from Lake Harbour Drive to School Street, there is a need for subgrade reconstruction along with pavement resurfacing.
The project will replace the failing pipes and inlets, replace weak subgrade areas with a crushed stone layer and replace all existing concrete curb, sidewalk and driveway aprons so that the finished grades can be completely re-established to provide a smooth profile that drains efficiently.
“After these repairs, more than 3,400-tons of new pavement would be installed with new pavement markings and street signs and all other incidental work necessary to provide a complete street restoration,” McGee said.
On the south end of Wheatley Street, closer to County Line Road, the scope of work is mostly an asphalt overlay, McGee said.
The city of Ridgeland will replace the sewer line under Wheatley Street between Lake Harbour Drive and School Street as part of a planned sewer collection system capacity improvement.
During Phase I, South Wheatley will remain open to two-way traffic. As the project progresses into Phases II and III, northbound traffic is expected to stay open for most of the remainder of construction. For brief periods a full closure is necessary to allow crews to complete specific work.
Motorists are encouraged to follow posted detours, use caution while traveling through the work zone and remain alert for construction workers.
