In February, the Jackson Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) approved $20.1 million in Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding for metro-area transportation projects aimed at reducing congestion and improving the safety and efficiency of the regional transportation system. The STBG program is a federal-aid transportation program that provides funding through the MPO to local municipalities and counties for transportation improvements in the urbanized area.
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Funding approved by the MPO will support community-based projects that integrate transportation enhancements and provides for new economic development opportunities in the metro-area. Funding for these projects is available through the MPO as part of the 2015 Transportation Bill, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
This year, the MPO focused on providing funding to projects that can be completed in a relatively short timeframe, and that address safety, pavement condition, and congestion concerns. In total, CMPDD received 42 applications requesting more than $34 million in funding. However, the MPO only has enough funds available to fund the top twenty-six (26) rated projects. Combined, cities and counties receiving the $20.1 million in transportation funding have committed to provide over $8.6 million in local matching funds.
Projects selected for funding such as resurfacing Clinton Parkway and installing upgraded traffic signals at Old Canton Road and Lakeland Drive should be completed in a relatively short timeframe (1 to 2 years) while other projects such as the widening of Old Brandon Road will take a lengthier timeframe to complete.
Local jurisdictions submitted applications to CMPDD back in October 2016. The applications were then graded and evaluated based on the proposed project type (bridge repair, traffic operational improvement, capacity deficiency, pavement management, or small municipality) category. The scoring criteria for each project type varies slightly, but in general projects were rated based on:
Whether or not the project provided more than the minimum required local matching funds.
What percentage of the total funds available did the project request? Projects requesting the least amount of Federal funding received priority.
Whether or not the project is ready to go to construction. Projects ready to proceed to construction were given priority over projects that may still have design work and/or utility and right-of-way factors to address.
In addition, projects were evaluated on elements specific to each project category such as pavement condition, daily traffic volume, bridge sufficiency ratings, or travel time delays.
Projects rating the highest in each category were selected by the MPO Policy Committee to receive Federal STBG grant funding by the Jackson MPO. For more information regarding the MPO transportation planning process visit the MPO website at www.cmpdd.org.
Projects selected for STBG funding by the MPO include:
| Entity | Project | MPO Funding | Local Matching Funds |
| Traffic Operational Improvements | |||
| Jackson | Traffic signal upgrades at State Street and Silas Brown Street | $325,000 | $0 |
| Jackson | Traffic signal upgrades at Old Canton Road and Lakeland Drive/Fondren | $375,000 | $0 |
| Jackson | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 18 and McDowell Road | $275,000 | $0 |
| Pearl | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 80 and Service Drive | $202,600 | $0 |
| Pearl | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 80 and Pemberton Drive | $202,600 | $0 |
| Pearl | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 80 and Bierdeman Road | $209,194 | $0 |
| Pearl | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 80 and Pirate’s Cove | $209,194 | $0 |
| Pearl | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 80 and Mary Ann Drive | $202,600 | $0 |
| Ridgeland | Traffic signal upgrades at Highway 51 and School Street | $288,972 | $874,948 |
| Bridge Repair | |||
| Clinton | Pinehaven Road Bridge Replacement | $1,621,667 | $405,417 |
| Jackson | McDowell Road Ext. Bridge Replacement | $250,000 | $1,330,000 |
| Jackson | Greenwood Ave. Bridge Replacement | $200,000 | $330,000 |
| Capacity Deficiency Projects | |||
| Pearl | Old Brandon Road widening with a center turn lane from Bierdeman Road to Pemberton Drive | $2,000,000 | $500,000 |
| Rankin County | Northshore Parkway widening with a turn lane west bound onto Spillway Road | $802,356 | $216,708 |
| Rankin County | Spillway Road widening by adding a 5th lane from Pelahatchie Shore Drive to Hugh Ward Blvd. | $448,344 | $176,536 |
| Pavement Management Projects | |||
| Byram | Henderson Road: Siwell Road to City Limits | $736,015 | $315,435 |
| Clinton | Clinton Parkway: Highway 80 to Northside Drive | $590,849 | $393,899 |
| Clinton | Magnolia Road: Old Vicksburg Road to Northside Drive | $288,972 | $721,192 |
| Flowood | Old Fannin Road: Lakeland Drive north 3475’ | $371,000 | $159,000 |
| Jackson | State Street: Fortification Street to Webster Street | $1,859,644 | $619,881 |
| Jackson | Northside Drive: I-55 to State Street | $1,415,681 | $471,894 |
| Jackson | State Street: Webster Street to Woodrow Wilson Ave. | $2,029,106 | $676,369 |
| Jackson | Woodrow Wilson Ave.: I-55 to Mill Street | $2,026,013 | $675,338 |
| Pearl River Valley Water Supply District | Upper Spillway: West end to East end of Dam | $1,260,000 | $315,000 |
| Ridgeland | East Lake Harbour Drive: Northpark Drive to Breakers Lane | $1,712,000 | $428,000 |
| Small Municipalities | |||
| Flora | Cox Ferry Road: City Limits to Kearney Park Road | $289,220 | $72,305 |
