Lane closures began Monday along U.S. 61 South as initial phases of resurfacing began on the federal highway.

Holes were bored in sections of the right lane from the Signal Hill area to just past Grange Hall Road as crews evaluated the thickness and strength of the riding surface. Intermittent lane closures are expected between now and January, when construction bids are expected to be taken on the full project, officials said.

MDOT officials have said the full scope of the work will cover about nine miles of rutted, traffic-beaten roadway in both directions between Pemberton Square Boulevard and Redbone Road. A half-mile stretch at around Signal Hill was completely replaced last June following $6.2 million worth of improvements that included stabilization of the road’s western slope.

Monday’s work included the 4000 block, where long ruts in the highway hold water in rainy weather. Forty-eight of 246 wrecks to which Vicksburg and Warren County law enforcement authorities responded in 2008 occurred in that block — most of any single block along the highway, according to the Vicksburg Warren E-911 Dispatch Center.

Two fatalities in recent years on 61 south of Interstate 20 have involved former Warren County Coroner John Thomason, who was killed in a 2006 wreck, and sheriff’s deputy Tom Wilson, killed May 17. Both involved vehicles that hydroplaned in wet road conditions.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com