Steps are being taken to bring a long-awaited bypass to Columbus.
City officials have tentatively scheduled a public hearing on the proposed Highway 45 bypass project for early March.
During the hearing, residents will have an opportunity to view maps of two routes proposed for the bypass, which will be about eight miles long, with four miles to be located in the city and county each.
Each of the two routes, which vary only slightly, begin at Waters Truck and Tractor and end at the north gate of Columbus Air Force Base on Highway 45 North.
“I just want the citizens of Columbus to know the Highway 45 bypass is not dead,” Columbus Mayor Robert Smith said last week. “It”s still alive and we”re continuing to work with our engineers and Mississippi Department of Transportation to bring this to fruition, even though it”s a long-range plan.
“We hope, after the hearing, citizens can observe more progress being done on the bypass,” he added.
The project is not expected to be completed until 2020. After the hearing, the route will be finalized by early June, when preliminary work, including surveys, land acquisition and environmental assessments will begin.
Construction likely will begin within three years, said Smith.
The bypass project was initiated in 2003; previous public hearings provided input which narrowed routes under consideration from six to the two routes which will be presented to the public in March.
In late February, city officials will travel to Washington, D.C. to seek additional funding for the project, which is expected to cost between $90 million and $100 million to complete.
Funding for the project, identified as a “four-lane urban expressway,” also has been received through previous appropriations acts, including $750,000 in 2004, $3.4 million in 2005 and $3.6 million in 2006.
Traffic on Highway 45 North, which currently is at capacity, serving more than 27,000 vehicles per day, is expected to increase to more than 42,000 vehicles per day by 2020.
City officials noted the bypass significantly will eliminate passenger and truck traffic through a highly commercialized area and improve safety issues.
“Anyone living in Columbus will be impacted,” Smith said, encouraging residents to attend the hearing, offer input and voice any concerns.
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