Upkeep and paving of county roads is a never-ending job

Published 5:32 pm Friday, February 7, 2020

Last week, the Warren County Board of Supervisors approved the outline of the county’s four-year road plan.

The presentation of this plan is required at the beginning of each term and, in the case of the plan adopted Monday, details the projects local and state highway officials believe should be completed using funds from the state of Mississippi.

The projects range from those in the northern part of the county in the Eagle Lake area to multiple spots along Fisher Ferry Road and just about everywhere in between.

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But, this plan is admittedly incomplete. While it meets the requirements of approving a plan by a certain date, the plan does not lay out what county-funded projects supervisors, in consultation with county engineer Keith O’Keefe, would like to see completed in the next four years.

Those conversations are continuing and O’Keefe said such a plan could be finalized in the coming months.

The upkeep of our roads and bridges is at the very core of the job description for each of the supervisors. In fact, one of the requirements of their job is to ride all of the county roads each year. It is also another reason why supervisors are provided county trucks.

This is also one of the jobs that brings about the most heartburn for supervisors in the form of complaints from their constituents.

As residents, we are selfish. We want our roads and our streets paved and kept in top shape. But, there’s only so much money — whether that is coming from state coffers or from county funds — to go around.

Supervisors must prioritize where to best allocate those few dollars and that money must be spent on the roads and projects that are in the most need. We look forward to seeing the final road plan in the coming weeks.