Population growth putting pressure on roads in Harrison County

ROY HOWARD COMMUNITY JOURNALISM CENTER- Harrison County leaders say rapid growth is putting pressure on roads across the county, especially in rural areas that weren’t built for traffic.

Supervisors say population growth has brought more homes, more commuters, and heavier daily use of county roads, many of which now need widening, resurfacing, or full reconstruction.

As the largest and fastest growing county in Mississippi, officials say keeping up with those demands has become increasingly expensive. Board of Supervisors President Nathan Barrett said, “With growth comes growing pains, and that means having to expand infrastructure, and the cost of infrastructure is very expensive. The resources are just not there to redo every road at the same time that needs it.”

County leaders say they are prioritizing the most heavily traveled roads in 2026 while asking state lawmakers to help fund long-term infrastructure projects during the upcoming legislative session.