Contact: Kay Fike Jones
Beginning Saturday [May 23], access to the Mississippi State campus via University Drive will be blocked.
Due to construction of a campus connector road, the heavily traveled thoroughfare will be closed at the Highway 12 overpass for approximately 30 days. A 900-foot road eventually will link University Drive with Barr Avenue just north of the Bost Extension Center.
Robert A. Johnston, MSU Physical Plant assistant director, said the new passage is designed to significantly aid traffic flow onto and around the state's largest university campus.
"This new road will relieve some of the congestion at the Five Points intersection," he said.
During the construction period, persons desiring to travel from campus to businesses along University Drive should drive west on Russell Street, then turn right on either Col. Muldrow Drive or Fellowship Street. Persons traveling east on University Drive may access campus by turning right on Fellowship or Maxwell streets and proceeding east on Russell Street.
In addition to the connector road, the project includes a 300-foot-long sidewalk leading from the overpass to an existing walk along the south side of University Drive, a new entrance to the Bost parking lot and demolition of nearly 300 feet of University Drive on campus.
The $390,000 project began in early March and is scheduled for completion by late August. Contractor is Eutaw Construction Co. of Aberdeen.