Updates on I-10 Project in Jackson County

MDOT crews are currently installing the foundation of a project designed to decrease the number of accidents on I-10 in Jackson County. News 25’s Gina Tomlinson shows us how a new intelligent transportation system will use a range of community and data collection technologies in order to improve safety for those traveling along the interstate.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell says he’s had calls ranging from drunk and reckless drivers to various traffic issues and accidents, many of them pertaining to Interstate 10 in Jackson County, a hot spot for traveling along the Coast. “Traffic that goes into this area, either going into Harrison County or coming out of Harrison County.”

Recently, the Mississippi Department of Transportation started a project to prevent more car accidents from happening along this popular interstate in Jackson County. A new innovative transportation system throughout I-10, a project that will consist of more than 100 video traffic cameras, 50 vehicle detection sensors and 10 overhead electronic message boards. “Anything we can do to keep traffic flowing better on the I-10 corridor,” said Wes Dean with MDOT.

Currently, crews are laying out the back bone of the project, a fiber optic cable running underground from the Alabama line to the 609 interchange in Jackson County. “Everyone of us has been on the interstate and all of a sudden it stopped and you have no idea what to do,” said Ezell.

If you’re driving along I-10 and you didn’t check the traffic and there’s a big accident ahead, the electronic message boards will let the public know about that information so drivers can safely navigate through the I-10 corridor. “If they see some big board lit up telling them there’s an accident up ahead, be prepared to stop, slow down, it’s going to be a big, big tool for law enforcement,” said Ezell.

MDOT plans to have the project finished in May of 2017.