WASHINGTON - The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a bill providing $52,615,000 in funding for transportation, housing, and urban development projects in Mississippi, Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker announced today.  The bill will now be submitted to the full Senate for consideration. 

“Reliable transportation infrastructure and robust community development are necessary in order to enhance economic growth in our state,” Senator Cochran said.  “The funding provided in this bill will help improve the quality of life for Mississippians while attracting new industry and jobs to the state.”

Senator Wicker added: “By investing in projects that improve our transportation infrastructure and better our communities, this funding will enhance economic development efforts and increase the quality of life for Mississippians.  I appreciate Sen. Cochran’s leadership in helping secure these funds, and look forward to continuing to work with him as the bill moves through the remainder of the legislative process.”

Highlights of the funding provided in this bill are listed below by region. 

South Mississippi

• $2,000,000 for airfield improvements at Gulfport-Biloxi Airport
• $1,500,000 to continue the development of a Runway Obstruction Warning System at Gulfport-Biloxi Airport
• $4,200,000 for Coast Transit Authority to address the mobility problems in the East/West Corridor and Beach Blvd. in Harrison County
• $2,000,000 for a frontage road along I-10 in west Jackson County
• $315,000 for N.A. Sandifer Highway in Lawrence County
• $1,000,000 for the I-55 Anchor Lake Interchange in Pearl River County
• $2,000,000 for Improvements to 4th Street in Hattiesburg
• $450,000 for riverfront trail construction in Natchez
• $2,000,000 for the Maritime Administration’s Marview monitoring system at Stennis Space Center

Jackson Metro

• $3,000,000 to revitalize Capitol Street in downtown Jackson
• $1,500,000 for Airfield Improvements at Jackson-Evers International Airport
• $500,000 for the Jackson Transit Authority
• $1,500,000 for the Byram-Clinton/Norrell Corridor
• $2,000,000 for Northside Drive in Clinton
• $750,000  for restoration of the historic Medgar Evers Farish Street NAACP Office
• $400,000  for renovations at Thalia Mara Performing Arts Facility

The Delta

• $250,000 to complete the construction of a new air traffic control tower at Greenwood-Leflore Airport
• $1,500,000 to construct an east-west boulevard in downtown Greenwood
• $1,000,000 for Statesman Boulevard and Trail at Delta State University
• $1,000,000  to restore the historic Tallahatchie County Courthouse to its condition during the 1955 Emmett Till trial
• $950,000  for a Gateway to the Blues educational center in Tunica
• $750,000 for Airfield Improvements at Tunica Airport

East Mississippi

• $1,500,000 to extend the runway at Golden Triangle Regional Airport to allow access by larger aircraft
• $300,000  for the expansion of the Oktibbeha County Courthouse
• $1,000,000  for the  Stennis Institute of Government to assist Mississippi municipalities with community development
• $1,000,000 for Artesia Road to provide greater access to industry around Golden Triangle Regional Airport
• $1,000,000 for road improvements to provide greater access to the MRAP manufacturing plant in West Point

North Mississippi

• $7,650,000 for Interstate 55/69 improvements in DeSoto County
• $3,000,000 for improvements to Highway 9 near the auto manufacturing facility in Blue Springs
• $500,000 for the University Transportation Center at the University of Mississippi
• $500,000 for construction of a bridge on the extension of Barnes Crossing Road at the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tupelo