Mississippians planning to hit the road to spend time with family and friends this Christmas and New Year’s will notice less travel delays due to construction. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) will suspend all interstate and four-lane highway work in anticipation of increased holiday travel.
MDOT crews and contractors will halt all road construction requiring lane closures beginning today at 5 p.m. through Tuesday, December 26, at 6 a.m., and from 5 p.m., Friday, December 29, until 6 a.m., Tuesday, January 2. This will provide maximum travel capacity and minimal construction delays to motorists traveling throughout the state during the holidays.
“Even though no highway construction work will be occurring across the state, motorists should be aware that some lane closures will remain in place,” said Melinda Mc-Grath, P.E., MDOT Executive Director. “These lanes closures are there to protect motorists, and MDOT urges drivers to treat these areas as active work zones.”
Motorists are urged to continue to pay attention to work zones, which can present unfamiliar driving patterns. Motorists should slow down when approaching and traveling through work zones, and always avoid distracted driving.
“MDOT wants to make travel safe and convenient for the public over the next two holiday weekends,” McGrath said. “While MDOT construction crews won’t be working, staff be put-ting additional effort into monitoring the state’s highways to make sure everyone is able to enjoy the holiday weekend safely.”
That additional efforts come from MDOT’s Traffic Management Center (TMC). Using traffic cameras, congestion analysis technology, radar and temperature sensors, along with local agency communication, the TMC observes the most traveled highways in the state to ensure the safety and mobility of the traveling public.
Call 511 for on demand, route-specific information along U.S. interstates and state highways. Mississippi 511 complements other travel resources – MDOTTraffic.com and the MDOT Traffic mobile app.
