A nursery on South Frontage Road for 30 years is closing its doors to make way for an extension of the road east to the Outlets at Vicksburg.

Nancy Watkins, who has operated Watkins Nursery at Old Highway 27 with her husband, Charlie, said Monday that the Mississippi Department of Transportation has acquired the property for the road to cross the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks to the outlet center.

“We closed the sale in mid-September,” she said, though the deed has not been recorded in the Warren County Chancery Clerk’s Office. “We’ve been waiting 17 years for this.”

Nancy Watkins declined to say how much the state paid for the 3-acre tract, but added, “it was plenty. We told the appraiser when she came out, ‘This is our retirement, be generous.’ We were pleased.”

The Watkins’ property is one of five parcels purchased as part of the project that is to see Interstate 20 lanes grown from four to six from the Mississippi River bridges at Warrenton Road to the U.S. 61 North and Mississippi 27 exit.

“We are actively buying rights of way,” Central District Commissioner Dick Hall said. “All the funds are earmarked by Congress for this project. But we have to know how much money we’re going to spend on rights of way so we’ll know if we have enough money for construction.”

Two of the state-purchased properties at South Frontage Road and Porters Chapel Road, adjacent to a city water tower, belonged to the City of Vicksburg.

On Monday, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the property transfer and receiving $30,200 from the state for the land, county land records show.

The state also purchased from private landowners other parcels on Porters Chapel near the city property, South Frontage Road and on Old Highway 27 behind the Watkins property, according to county land records.

“The road is going to go behind our business” and south of the water tower, Watkins said.

Hall said the South Frontage Road work will precede the proposed $1 billion Interstate 20 reconstruction.

Hall would not give a timetable for the I-20 work, but expects work on South Frontage Road to begin within the next year to 18 months.

“South Frontage Road is a separate project,” he said. “We have to have that completed and up to standards before we work on the reconstruction, because we will need to reroute traffic while we work on I-20.”

Hall said both frontage roads will become one-way roads while I-20 is being widened.

No announcement has been made on whether the frontage roads will continue one-way after construction.

Hall said the I-20 reconstruction is in the preliminary design phase and a brief description of the project on MDOT’s website carries the provision that right-of-way acquisition and construction will come as funds become available.

Plans for the project indicate a flyover ramp to replace a left-hand exit onto U.S. 61 South from near Halls Ferry Road, and underpasses east of Halls Ferry Road and near Porters Chapel Road will link the frontage roads.