US 49 N ramp opens about 3 months after I-59 overpass hit by tractor-trailer

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The northbound entrance ramp off U.S. Highway 49 onto Interstate 59 in Hattiesburg has been re-opened after about three months of repairs.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation said Thursday evening that the northbound entrance ramp had been reopened.

The ramp was closed last April after a tractor-trailer collided with the southbound side of the overpass, according to the Hattiesburg Police Department.

“Unfortunately, sometimes those bridges are struck by vehicles, and what we do in that situation, as we go in and assess the damage, and if needed, we put lane closures in place,” said Anna Ehrgott, public information officer for MDOT. “Sometimes we close an entire overpass if the damage necessitates that. We close ramps in order to keep the public safe; keep them off any sort of bridge structure that may not be safe for the traveling public.”

Ehrgott said key construction out of Madison was awarded the contract to make those repairs in June. After they were awarded the contract, repairs for that project began around early July. It took roughly three weeks for them to complete repairs on that project.

Crews replaced the damage to the concrete on the vertical wall of the bridge, made repaired and replaced the concrete on the deck where some damage occurred and replaced some of those reinforcing elements there as well, Ehrgott said.

“... all the lanes of that bridge are now open to the public,” Ehrgott said. “The ramp closure is now open as well, and it should be a nice, much safer drive for people traveling that way.”

While traffic patterns are returning to normal, MDOT spoke about measures for possibly preventing traffic issues.

“For all of our commercial vehicles traveling in the state ... we ask folks to go through the permitting process, and that keeps some of those oversized vehicles from potentially striking some of our infrastructure,” Ehrgott said. “So, it’s really important for commercial vehicles to go through that process.”

You can find more information about MDOT’s Over-Dimensional Permits HERE.

MDOT also talked about a realization project on I-59, which is when concrete on the roadway is broken up into very smaller pieces, serving as a base for the roadway to be paved over with asphalt.

Ehrgott said this project stretches from just south of Moselle all the way to the Lamar County line.

“So, it’s been going on for a while, I’m sure that anyone who travels on I-59 has noticed this,” Ehrgott said.

“Crews will soon be in the I-59 and US 49 area, so we want to just remind people to be alert for roadside crews, and be sure to drive safely and carefully through any work zone area,” Ehrgott added.

Ehrgott said the project is expected to wrap up in 2024.

To keep updated on traffic conditions, you can download the MDOT traffic app or visit MDOTtraffic.com.

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