T

he last time we heard about the South Frontage Road extension was Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall saying the rights of way were acquired and construction plans were being drawn to extend the road that runs parallel to the southern side of Interstate 20 to the Outlets at Vicksburg.

That was October 2015.

Since then, Mr. Hall and the people at the Mississippi Department of Transportation he oversees with two other highway commissioners have been rather quiet about the extension’s progress toward construction.

After all the announcements and statements of optimism from the county’s legislative delegation in 2015, you would think the project was on the fast track, but that’s not evident from the lack of information coming from Jackson. We know about as much now as we did when Hall made his announcement.

However, we know this much:

• In 2015, the Legislature approved, and the governor signed, House Bill 1630, a $200 million bond issue for state roads and bridges that included $18 million to build the South Frontage extension.

• In 2014, the Legislature approved $4 million to relocate utilities on South Frontage Road, and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an engineering contract with Waggoner Engineering to prepare designs to relocate utilities along the road. The board has since modified the contracts to meet MDOT requirements.

The South Frontage Road extension has been a topic of discussion for at least 15 years, and took a positive turn when a $2.5 million Federal Highway Administration study reported a finding of “no significant impact,” on the plan, clearing the way for the project.

Since that study was released, there have been signs of potential action by the state concerning the extension project. In 2007, residents learned traffic on South Frontage would cross the railroad tracks on an overpass at a public hearing on proposed improvements on I-20. They also learned the South and North Frontage roads would each become one-way, with South Frontage going east, during improvements to I-20.

Three years later, areas along the road and at the intersection of South Frontage and Old Highway 27 at the railroad tracks were staked and painted. Rights of way were being acquired.

But for all the discussions about I-20 improvements and the signs of stakes and paint, actual construction on South Frontage has been non-existent. And that’s a real shame.

It’s time for the state to start giving times and dates when bids will be let for the project and when construction begins.

The South Frontage Road extension is a major project that can increase revenue at the stores and restaurants on East Clay Street, help relieve congestion in that area, and open some property for development.

It is a key to Vicksburg’s continued progress, and construction should get underway.