PASCAGOULA, MS

No more delays: Widened road eases congestion

Neel-Schaffer was selected by the City of Pascagoula to provide design and CE&I services for the $4 million reconstruction of a 1.2-mile section of Shortcut Road between Hospital Road and Jefferson Street. This project was funded through the Surface Transportation Program administered by MDOT and Gulf Regional Planning Commission.

Shortcut Road was a two-lane roadway with narrow shoulders and relatively deep open ditches. Development within the area had increased the number of turning movements and traffic volumes along this roadway. The increased traffic had diminished the overall level-of-service of the roadway, creating extensive vehicular delays and increased travel times. Furthermore, a significant number of accidents were reported on this roadway.

Neel-Schaffer assisted the City of Pascagoula in determining solutions to correct these problems. Widening the roadway to accommodate a center two-way left-turn lane, sidewalks, and converting the road to curb-and-gutter increased the overall capacity of the roadway to accommodate the 20-year design flows and potentially reduce the number of accidents.