Next phase of US 49-Midtown Hattiesburg improvements begins. What you need to know

Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American
·2 min read
Signs and construction crews restrict some access to the emergency room at Forrest County General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Miss., Wednesday, March 16, 2022.
Signs and construction crews restrict some access to the emergency room at Forrest County General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Miss., Wednesday, March 16, 2022.

Contractors began working Wednesday on the second phase of the U.S. 49-Midtown road construction project, designed to expand access to Forrest General Hospital.

Work on Camp Street east of U.S. 49 will begin later in February with this phase. Camp Street west side of U.S. 49 has reopened to traffic between South 27th and South 28th avenues.

In addition, the project will:

  • expand access to Forrest General Hospital by shifting the U.S. 49 traffic signal from Mamie Street to Camp Street;

  • install an additional traffic signal on U.S. 49 at West Adeline Street;

  • improve traffic circulation on Arlington Loop and provide a more efficient route to Midtown from U.S. 49; and

  • provide for a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle path from Kamper Park to Midtown.

“Our region is flourishing, and more jobs are on the way," Area Development Partnership President Chad Newell said in an earlier story. "Anchored by the pillars of Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg Clinic and the University of Southern Mississippi, Midtown Hattiesburg is crucial to our community’s economic future.”

Caution:A $4.6 million multi-phase construction project is set to begin on U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg

The first phase, which began in February 2022, also will alleviate traffic congestion in the midtown area once the project is complete.

Plans for the project began in 2011 in partnership between the city of Hattiesburg, Forrest County, Forrest General Hospital, Mississippi Development Authority and the Office of State Aid Road Construction. The multi-phase road project, estimated at $4.65 million will make improvements on U.S. 49 from O’Ferral Street to Adeline Street.

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Funding for the project comes from a $2.5 million grant from the Mississippi Development Authority and about $1 million each from the city of Hattiesburg and Forrest General Hospital.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

To learn more about the project and to view a timeline and project maps, visit hattiesburgms.com/hwy49.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Phase 2 of U.S. 49 improvements in Hattiesburg begins