BY ZACK STEWART

NORTHERN DISTRICT

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER

Highways made our wealth possible. It was not wealth that made our highways possible. This statement is still as true today as it was when a director of the Bureau of Public Roads first made it in the early part of this century. This fact was recognized by many Mississippi lay leaders in the summer of 1986 when they formed an organization which has come to be known as AHEAD (Advocating Highways for Economic Advancement and Development). The result of their efforts, as well as those of the legislative leadership, was the passage of a highway program that would add almost 1,100 miles of four-lane highway to our state system, with the promise that it would be under contract by 1999.

The highways in the Delta area that were part of this program were U.S. 61, U.S. 49W, and S.R. 302. Barring any unforeseen difficulties, every section of these highways will be under contract by September 1998. Although everything will be under contract as far as the grade, drain and bridgework are concerned, an additional paving contract will have to be awarded on two sections. Much of U.S. 49W and U.S. 61 is now open to four-lane traffic.

With completion of these highways, the Mississippi Delta will have a good highway system with more to come. As a result of legislation passed in 1994, Highway 6 from Clarksdale to Batesville, Highway 4 from Tunica to Senatobia, and Highway 304 from U.S. 61 to I-55 will be four-laned. The new Federal Aid Act (TEA-21) included the much talked-about I-69, which will enter Mississippi near Memphis and cross into Arkansas between Highway 8 and the Washington County line. Most of these projects will begin in the year 2002 or beyond.

What will you do with this highway system? A former governor once told me, You show me a town with a progressive newspaper, strong financial system, and a good transportation system, and I will show you a town on the move. I often have thought about what he said and have added one other requirement: A city or town must have good local leadership if it is going to progress very much socially or economically.

The Area Development Magazine runs an annual poll of Fortune 500 companies. One of the questions asked is, What do you look for when you plan to locate or expand an industry? The answer that is consistently number 1 or 2 in the poll is highway transportation. A good highway transportation system is one of the most important tools that an economic developer can have in his bag. I see many signs that most of the Delta is using this tool. What will the rest of you do with it?

After reading the previous paragraphs, you might conclude that everything looks great for the future of our highway system. We do have one problem that is a major concern to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). That is the maintenance of the 9,000 miles of our existing highways, plus the new highways that are currently being built. Since 1985 there have been almost 3,000 lane miles added to our state highway system. There has been no additional money made available to maintain this additional mileage. Highways should be resurfaced on the average of once every 10 to 12 years. We are now resurfacing at a rate of about once every 30 years. This tremendous highway system that we are now building will not last without adequate maintenance. I hope this problem will be addressed within the next couple of years by our state Legislature.

Additionally, anybody traveling in Mississippi can see we have a litter problem. MDOT is spending more than $1 million annually to remove litter from highway rights of way - litter that deliberately has been thrown from vehicles or allowed to blow from the beds of trucks. Until we can convince people to stop littering through example and enforcement of litter laws, MDOT has an Adopt-A-Highway Program that allows individuals, groups and private enterprises to join clean-up efforts. All public assistance with litter prevention and removal allows more funds to remain in MDOT maintenance budget for routine highway repair.

The Adopt-A-Highway Program has been given a facelift for the first time in its 10-year history by allowing signs that identify adopting groups or businesses to include a logo. The adoptee's sign accompanies a newly designed red, white and blue Adopt-A-Highway America sign and is erected on one- or two-mile adopted sections.

Litter is damaging Mississippi. I hope you will report litterers via your cellular telephone to the nearest Mississippi Highway Patrol district office by dialing *47 (*HP). Regular telephone users may dial 1-800-545-3764, which is the office of Keep Mississippi Beautiful/People Against Litter.

Progress can be seen throughout the state in the number of cities and counties taking responsibility for the care and maintenance of their interchanges through MDOT Adopt-An-Interchange Program. One example is along Interstate 20, from Jackson eastward to the Alabama line, where almost all the interchanges have been adopted by cities or counties so hometown leaders can determine how entranceways into their communities will be maintained. More information about these programs may be obtained from MDOT Public Affairs Division in Jackson at 601/359-7017. DBJ

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