Mississippi Department of Transportation employee Wesley Roberts, back center, operates the drill as George Mitchell, left, and Chad Watkins clear out sediment while they extract rock core samples Wednesday morning in the median of U.S. 61 South. MDOT is testing the ground to determine the cause of continuing road sliding near Signal Hill Drive. MDOT geologist Mike Wright, who described the slide as “a big one,” said workers are drilling holes on a 200-foot-by-200-foot grid “to try and get a handle on what is going on here geologically.” The crews are installing slope pipes, which will be inserted into the drilled holes and tell them over time how much the area is actually shifting. MDOT Geotechnical Engineer Sean Ferguson said tests may take three months. “It could turn out to be the biggest slide area or at least one of the biggest in the state of Mississippi,” he said. (Brian LodenThe Vicksburg Post)