Mississippi’s Highway 6 is in such bad shape that state transportation officials have declared its bridges were unsafe for heavy trucks. In fact, for a time, trucks were ticketed for exceeding weight limits.
The state plans to have temporary bridges in place by next fall with permanent replacements due by the fall of 2017 at a projected cost of $60 million.
In the meantime, the current bridges are a major headache for Mississippi truckers.
State Department of Transportation officials estimate they need $400 million more a year just to prevent further deterioration.
The state’s gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon hasn't been raised since 1987.
Willie Simmons, the state's Senate Transportation Committee chairman, had proposed raising taxes to increase revenue by $600 million in 2013, but Gov. Phil Bryant (R) rejected that idea.
“Our roads are outdated and in bad shape,'' said Democratic gubernatorial candidate Robert Gray, a longhaul trucker who wants to pay for the improvements with revenue from a state lottery and loans rather than an increase in the fuel tax. “We need to expand some two-lane highways into four-lane highways.''
