OPINION:
Infrastructure made Mississippi. In fact, the greatest natural transportation highway in the world, the Mississippi River, gave us our name. And transportation continues to drive our success today. That’s why Mississippi is making massive investments in infrastructure. That’s because safe roads, strong bridges, and effective railroads help lay the foundation for a strong economy and a better quality of life for Mississippians. These key assets bind our state and facilitate travel, commerce, and more.
Earlier this year I called for a new and historic state investment in Mississippi’s infrastructure. Together with the Mississippi Legislature, we delivered on that proposal. I was proud to sign over $2 billion in infrastructure and transportation investments into law.
This legislation invested $1.4 billion in the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The appropriation is earmark-free and ensures that the department has the flexibility needed to invest in the most effective transportation and construction projects across the state.
We also invested additional funding to tackle a range of major road, bridge, port, rail, and airport improvements across Mississippi. The legislation I signed commits $450 million for capacity projects across the state, $100 million for emergency road and bridge repairs, $30 million for new port, airport, and rail improvements, and $40 million to pull down additional federal matching funds for projects.
These improvements are not only a commitment to the people of Mississippi to deliver the roads they deserve, but a tangible economic investment for our state.
As governor, one of my key responsibilities is recruiting new businesses and jobs to the state. When I speak with business leaders from across the country, I often get two questions.
The first is about the quality of our workforce, which gives me a prime opportunity to brag about the work ethic of our people, the quality of their character, and how Mississippians still value a hard day’s work. Thanks to them, our unemployment rate is at 3.5% - a record low for our state.
The second question is about speed to market. They want to know how quickly we can get shovels in the ground and get products moving to consumers. We already have sites that are ready for private investment. We now have road expansions and bridge, rail, and port improvements to make the answer even more clear.
From railroads to ports, from roads to airports, we want to bolster assets across every corner of our state so that we can make Mississippi even more competitive for the jobs of the next fifty years. That’s what Mississippi is doing.
Companies are taking notice of what’s happening in Mississippi and the investments we’ve made are already paying dividends. Just last year, we brought in a record $6 billion in new private capital investment. Every single dollar represents investment in new jobs and better salaries for Mississippians. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
I’ve often said that one of the biggest challenges Mississippi faces is convincing people to visit just once. If we can get someone to visit our state just one time, they love what they see, they love the people they meet, and they want to come back again and again.
In September 2021 alone, visitors spent $1 billion here. By improving our infrastructure, Mississippi can attract even more people to experience all that the Hospitality State has to offer. Whether it’s someone flying in to enjoy our beautiful Gulf Coast or a family taking a cross-country road trip to the Grammy Museum in Cleveland, better transportation assets mean improved travel experiences and more visitors as well.
In the long term, these investments will not only help Mississippi pave roads but pave the pathway to generational economic prosperity and keep our kids and grandkids here. The two most powerful words in the English language are “You’re hired.” And today in Mississippi, there’s an incredible amount of hiring happening. Our historic infrastructure investments are a big reason why.
• Tate Reeves is the 65th Governor of Mississippi. He delivered the largest tax cut in Mississippi history, returning over half a billion dollars to taxpayers. In his first term as governor, Mississippi reached record-low unemployment rates, collected billions in excess revenue, and achieved the highest ever high school graduation rate.
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