U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has announced a significant grant of $21.3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation aimed at improving traffic and commerce flow where U.S. Highway 49 meets Mississippi Highway 13 in Simpson County.
Senator Hyde-Smith, who chairs the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, supported the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s application for the Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant funding through a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
“The BUILD grant program is very competitive, so I’m grateful that this project in Mendenhall will receive funding to plan and construct a project to remake the US 49 and MS-13 interchange. This project will make travelling through this area safer and more efficient,” stated Hyde-Smith.
The “Enhancing Safety and Mobility on US 49 and MS-13 in Simpson County” initiative involves replacing two bridge structures on US 49 over MS-13 to improve vertical clearance by excavating and lowering MS-13. The interchanges between US 49 and MS-13 are also set to be redesigned as roundabouts.
In addition, Hyde-Smith and her subcommittee colleagues are working on preparing the FY2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for review by the full Senate Appropriations Committee later this summer.
