Shoring up erosion along parts of Haining Road could start just after Jan. 1 at the same time talks between Vicksburg and Warren County on how to maintain the work long-term are renewed.

County supervisors on Monday OK’d a $1.8 million offer from Pearl-based Unicon from among a group of a field of five bidders to rebuild sliding soil and improve drainage. The work is funded by a mix of state-administered block grants and money leftover from a Katrina-related grant originally secured to clean out city bayous.

“We hope to start right after the first of the year,” county engineer John McKee said when asked by the board. “Once they’re bonded, we’ll have a pre-construction conference. As soon they’re ready to go, we’re ready to go.”

Keeping grass mowed along the road, which was acquired by the city in the 1990 annexation, and subsurface maintenance has been a point of contention between the city and county for years. While the road is maintained by the city, upkeep of the supporting earth has fallen to the county when it’s been done at all. Officials have cited a 2001 attorney general’s opinion they say confirms municipal responsibility. Since then, city officials have cited cost and nature of the work for not tackling more maintenance tasks near Haining. A wide swath of
land between Haining and areas leading to Kings Point Island were underwater for about two months following the Mississippi River Flood of 2011.

Supervisors plan to invite city officials to an informal session Jan. 12 to hammer out some form of agreement.

“We’ve been told before about compromise,” District 5 Supervisor Richard George said, adding progress could be made “if we can get them to take care of the ditches, and the shoulders.”

In 2012, the county matched a $1.5 million federal highway grant to rebuild the ridge on which Industrial Drive runs, to the north of Haining. The cost of pending work on Haining and the 2012 project wasn’t lost on supervisors Monday.

“If you total up this and the repair job on Industrial Drive, we’re probably looking at over $3 million or $4 million,” Board President Bill Lauderdale said.

Grant funds in each project were being administered on the state level by the Mississippi Development Authority.