The completion of the Reunion Parkway Crossing bridge this fall is significant.
After many years, the parkway will soon be complete from start to finish, providing drivers in Madison County an avenue for traveling from U.S. Highway 51 across Interstate 55 to Highway 463.
Tim Bryan, Madison County engineer, expects construction on the parkway bridge to be finished by mid-November.
With the completion of the bridge, drivers will be able to go from Reunion Parkway Crossing across I-55 on Parkway East to Highway 51.
Hemphill Construction is the contractor for the current phase of construction, and the project cost is estimated at $32 million. A combination of federal, state and local funds is paying for the project, Bryan said.
In February, officials cut the ribbon on the stretch of Reunion Parkway that extends from Highway 51 at the intersection of Green Oak Lane to Parkway East.
That total cost of the newly opened segment was $25 million, of which construction costs were $22.7 million. Madison County and the Department of Transportation provided funding.
A priority of the Mississippi Department of Transportation is widening I-55 and building an interchange that will connect at Reunion Parkway, Bryan said. Another interchange on I-55 would help alleviate traffic congestion in the area.
The county hopes the Legislature will provide funding for the project during the upcoming session, he said. The Legislature did not fund any local projects during the 2025 session.
Construction is about 30 percent complete on the first phase of Bozeman Road, which extends from Mississippi 463 to Reunion Parkway and includes widening the road and adding a multi-use trail, Bryan said. The project will also improve the traffic signals at the intersection of Bozeman Road and Gluckstadt Road.
Hemphill Construction is the contractor for the first phase of construction, which is estimated to cost about $38.6 million. Federal, state and local funds are footing the bill, Bryan said.
Construction will likely slow in the coming months due to the weather but that’s typical during the winter months, Bryan said. “It will slow down from the progress that happens during the summer months,” he said.
Bryan expects in March the traffic on Bozeman Road will be shifted to the new lanes that are currently being built, and construction will get under way to rebuild the existing lanes.
Right-of-way is currently being purchased for the second phase of construction on Bozeman Road, which will focus on building four lanes from Reunion Parkway to Gluckstadt Road.
As soon as the first phase is complete, the second phase from Reunion Parkway to Gluckstadt Road will get under way and take about 18 months to complete.
Both Phase I and Phase II of the Bozeman Road project are part of a nearly $250 million transportation plan approved by the supervisors.
Walter Michel, who represents District 25, which includes Madison County and a portion of Hinds County, said the extension of Reunion Parkway and Bozeman Road are major projects.
“It’s two projects on top of each other,” he said. “The widening of Bozeman Road is tied into it because Reunion Parkway will cross it and extend toward I-55. The two projects are joined at the hip.”
Major projects such as the completion of Reunion Parkway take years to move from just a good idea to reality because of the numerous steps involved, Michel said. There’s funding to obtain, then the engineering design of the project to complete, bids must let for a contractor to handle construction and along the way rights-of-way must be obtained and often, utility lines need to be moved, and that’s all before construction starts.
“It’s wonderful to see it progress,” Michel said.
