Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is asking motorists to remain alert and aware of crews working on Highway 51 in Madison and Ridgeland.

According to MDOT officials, construction crews are making every effort to complete work on this project as soon as possible.

With a traffic count of 25,000 vehicles traveling this stretch of highway per day, it is MDOT’s goal to make improvements and complete this project so that motorists and businesses can regain normalcy.

“MDOT’s responsibility to the state of Mississippi is to provide a safe intermodal transportation network by making improvements as necessary to secure the safety of commuters as they utilize the state’s infrastructure,” said MDOT District Engineer Ricky May.

“As we are aware of the difficulties this project has imposed on motorists and businesses, we regret the inconvenience,” he said.

Along the highway, the construction of the bridge near St. Augustine Street in Madison is completed.

Also, construction of the full depth excavation at Cobblestone is in its final stages with the exception of asphalt and curb and gutter.

Curb and gutter and driveways are nearly completed through Madison from St. Augustine to Madison Avenue.

Drainage structure installation on the west side of the project is complete with the exception of the section from Hoy Road to City Hall in Madison.

Various paving operations are ongoing throughout the project as progress moves forward.

This project was awarded to APAC MS Inc., at a cost of approximately $14.5 million. According to MDOT, substantial completion is expected by early fall 2007.

The widening project began in 2003. Since construction began, many delays have plagued the project but progress is being made toward completion.

Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) Commissioner Dick Hall previously said, “We’ve had a real good March and the first two weeks of this month, really good, probably the best yet. We are hoping and anticipating being able to open the full stretch from Vasilio’s back up to Rice Road, the full highway. That’s what we hope for in the next few weeks.”

The purpose of the reconstruction project is to alleviate the traffic congestion along the U.S. Highway 51 corridor by improving the traffic flow through the cities of Ridgeland and Madison, especially during peak commuter times in the morning and evening.

Reconstruction begins just south of the Natchez Trace and extends north approximately five miles to the north side of the Madison city limits. It includes the widening of the existing highway, the construction of numerous intersections, the addition of traffic signals and traffic cameras, and the reconstruction of the drainage system along the corridor.

The project was awarded to APAC MS Inc., in March 2003 at a cost of around $14 million, and construction began in April of 2003.