Delta Council leaders and Northern District Highway Commissioner, Zack Stewart, visited with Mississippi Congressional leaders recently to place increased emphasis on the need for completing the four-laning of Highway 304 between Hernando and Highway 61. "The growth of the gaming industry in Tunica County has already outpaced the capacity of U.S. Highway 61 to carry the volume of traffic which is currently coming to Tunica from the north. If the current schedule for four-laning MS Highway 304 between I-55 and U.S. 61 is not accelerated, the growth in state revenues which has been experienced in the past due to Tunica's gaming industry will be stifled," stated Kenneth Hood, the president of Delta Council. In meetings with U.S. Senator Trent Lott, Senator Cochran, and other Congressional leaders, Hood, Delta Council Highway Committee Chairman Ken Murphree of Tunica, and Commissioner Zack Stewart reminded Washington leaders that Highway 304 between Hernando and Tunica had already been designated as the preferred route for for I-69, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The four-laning of U.S. 304 between Interstate 55 and U.S. Highway 61 would provide an alternate four-lane route from the north to relieve over-congestion which is already occurring between Memphis and Tunica on U.S. Highway 61. "Approximately $50 million in state gaming road funds have already been spent on MS Highway 304 and we have asked our Congressional leaders to consider designating funds in this year's Congressional appropriations measure which would allow the Mississippi Department of Transportation to award the final contract on U.S. 304," stated Ken Murphree. "The current schedule, with limited state funds, would not allow Mississippi to complete the four-laning of U.S. 304 until sometime after 2010, but if we are successful in obtaining these specially-designated federal funds to accelerate this process, it will enhance our position in moving forward with I-69 in Mississippi, as well as ensure traffic safety, more jobs, and the continued growth of gaming revenues for the state budget in future years," added Murphree. Under current construction schedules, the last contract on MS Highway 304 will be awarded in 2009. The funding sought by the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Delta Council would enable this segment of I-69 to be accelerated 4-5 years in advance of the current schedule. The Tunica County gaming revenues for 2000 exceeded $1 billion, increasing by approximately 10% annually since the gaming operations began locating in the Northwest Mississippi area. Last year, the $1 billion gaming industry in Tunica County accrued more than $120 million in state budget revenues, created income tax revenues from more than 15,000 jobs related to the Tunica gaming industry and generated millions of dollars through increased sales tax revenues for the state budget "Due to private investments by the gaming industry, the infrastructure is in place in Tunica County , and it is our view that we should be aggressive in our efforts to create a transportation system in that area which would enable the growth of state revenues and jobs which are so vital to the overall economic outlook of Mississippi," Delta Council President Kenneth Hood told Mississippi Congressional leaders. The area-wide organization will meet in May, where all elected directors will vote on the priorities for transportation in the Delta, including the Highway 304 four-laning proposal. DBJ