This past Friday, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) closed a section of Hwy. 9 in Choctaw County approximately six miles north of Hwy. 12 between Ackerman and Eupora, as a result of large cracks forming in the roadway.
Spokesman Jace Ponder stated that MDOT had been monitoring the roadway, and recent persistent rainfall caused the landslide which further opened the cracks. He added that about a 300-foot section of the highway is affected and will remain closed until MDOT engineers can determine the severity of the slide and formulate a repair plan.
Warning signs are in place and the road is closed to through-traffic between Reform- Sturgis Road and State Route 790. A detour will be in place using US Highway 82, State Route 15 and State Route 12.
Ponder said that at this time there is no way to know how long the road will be closed or the total extent of the damage, but it was necessary to close the road out of concern for the traveling public and to prevent further damage to the highway.
County Roads Experience Flooding in Recent Rains
Choctaw County supervisors report that recent heavy rains resulted in a number of roads county-wide experienced flooding, and some were temporarily closed. District 1 Supervisor, Joey Stephenson reported that most of the roads in his district fared pretty well, but there were some blown-out culverts.
Chris McIntire of District 3 reported that Chester-Tomnolen Road, which is a major thoroughfare for people traveling to and from Webster County, experienced a blown-out culvert. He added that there were a number of other roads that had been underwater.
The other districts had issues with flooded roads, as well, however most are open; a few remain closed, and most of those have little or no traffic. Repairs will begin as early as this week, and the Supervisors agreed that ash from the coal plant is invaluable in repair of damaged roads, as the material compacts so well, even in wet conditions. And they are fortunate to have a ready supply at the coal mine.
