By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
March 28, 2001
County supervisors can now spend up to 25 percent of their State Aid funds on non-State Aid roads.
Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill allowing the new distribution of State Aid funds over the weekend. The bill, Senate Bill 2318, was co-written by 28 senators from around the state. Sen. Gloria Williamson, D-Philadelphia, calls it her "pet project."
Effective July 1, the new state law gives county supervisors, working with county State Aid engineers, the flexibility to pave, construct and upgrade rural roads that don't meet current State Aid standards.
Because they don't meet these standards, they have been not eligible for federal and state funds through the Office of the State Aid Road Division, a branch of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Floyd Kirk, the division's director, said guidelines for using the newly-allocated funds on rural roads will be drawn from guidelines set by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Local roads roads with a daily traffic count of 400 or below will be eligible for the funds if they meet the additional criteria.
The money could be a big help. State Aid Engineer Terrell Temple said Lauderdale County has about 900 miles of roads, and 418 miles qualified for State Aid funds before the law was passed.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.