MDOT Executive Director Discusses Progress on Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Closed bridges were a common sight across Mississippi in 2017 and 2018, but MDOT Executive Director Brad White shared a program that is helping to get the state out of this emergency.

“The federal government stepped in and discovered that the bridges were in much worse shape than our local records showed,” White described. “And the state was at risk of losing our federal transportation funds if we didn’t take steps to properly address this issue. Governor Bryant then declared a state of emergency.”

The Fund for Emergency Repairs of Roads and Bridges was established by Parliament during a special session in 2018.

“A total of about $570 million that the state of Mississippi has paid into this fund,” White explained. “That’s about 346 bridges that have been replaced.”

During the legislative session, when money is being distributed, you can often hear questions about pet projects and favoritism, but there are safeguards in place to prevent that in this program.

“The best thing about this fund that I like is that the Legislature passed it in a way that has nothing to do with politics, so that no county is favored over another,” White said.

The advisory board is comprised of stakeholders, but MDOT does not have a member. Their staff helps gather data to evaluate project proposals.

“It’s based on things like the length of the detour, the access of emergency vehicles, the truck traffic that’s there, things like that that give it a little bit of a data-driven process,” he said. “Like I said, it takes the politics out of it and gives the commission the ability to administer those funds where the need is greatest in a very unbiased, fair and equitable way across the state.”

Each year the number of applications exceeds funding opportunities.

The amount allocated to the fund changes from year to year. In 2022 and 2023, it was $100 million, but this year it was $30 million.

Next month, MDOT commissioners will review projects that meet the criteria for the latest round of funding.

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