TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - An almost-finished ribbon of pavement to provide an uninterrupted four-lane link from U.S. Highway 45 in Tupelo to Interstate 55 in Batesville is projected to open in mid-June.
The last 10-mile stretch of Mississippi Highway 6 runs from Pontotoc County to south Tupelo.
Mississippi Department of Transportation District Engineer Mark Holley told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (https://bit.ly/1eDXp9z ) a portion of the segment needs a final layer of asphalt, signage, striping and some shoulder work but all dirt-moving is complete.
The new roadway nearest Tupelo is fully controlled access; it becomes a controlled access with grade-level crossings in more rural areas. Holley says the speed limit probably will be 65 mph.
Holley said $42 million was spent on earlier phases of the final segment, bringing total anticipated investment to $68 million for the 10 miles.
APAC, a Tupelo-based firm, has the $26 million contract for paving the 10-mile segment.
The highway also is designated Corridor V in the Appalachian Development Highway System. Mississippi and the federal government have invested more than $300 million in the full corridor, which veers northeast into Alabama east of Fulton, Miss., where it is part of the U.S. Highway 78/Interstate 22 corridor.
Holley said none of the Highway 6 section between Tupelo and Mississippi Highway 342 near the Black Zion community is open. It is open from Mississippi Highway 342 to Batesville.
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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, https://djournal.com
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