Contact: Bob Ratliff
When Mississippi State students and faculty returned to campus for the fall term, they found a new look on a familiar thoroughfare.
During the summer, John C. Hardy Road--named for the university's third president and commonly referred to as "Engineering Row"--received a new asphalt surface and concrete curbs and gutters. Almost half of the dozen buildings lining the road house engineering departments or laboratories.
MSU Physical Plant personnel did the work on utilities, curbs and sidewalks. The Mississippi Asphalt Paving Association provided materials and labor for paving the street and the Mississippi Concrete Industries Association contributed concrete for curbs and sidewalks.
At ceremonies Thursday [Sept. 16], MSU officials dedicated the refurbished roadway. In his remarks on the brief afternoon program, engineering Dean A. Wayne Bennett thanked industry representatives for their contributions. He said the project reflects "strong private sector support for education in Mississippi" and the MSU administration's commitment to infrastructure improvement.
"The street improvements are part of the infrastructure revitalization necessary for MSU to accomplish its teaching, research and service missions," he said. "The Hardy Road project is just one example of how university/industry partnerships are working to make MSU a national leader in those areas."
Tone [cq] Garrett, executive director of the Mississippi Asphalt Paving Association, said the project was a way for his organization to show its appreciation for MSU and its contributions to engineering.
"The association feels strongly that enhancement and support of MSU programs is important to the future prosperity of Mississippi," he said. "Those programs provide the engineers and others needed to move the state forward."