Madison County Herald

By Leah Square
leah.square@mcherald.com

A big chunk of $5.5 million in Department of Transportation funds awarded to three Mississippi cities will go toward a major road project in Canton.

The Canton Parkway project, which will effectively connect U.S. 51 to Mississippi 43 to provide critical access to the Nissan North America Plant in Canton, received $2.744 million, U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker announced.

Funds also were awarded to Greenville and Cleveland for highway reconstruction and revitalization projects there.

"This funding will provide a great deal of federal assistance to communities in our state in great need of infrastructure improvements," Cochran said.

"I am hopeful that these projects will reduce congestion, improve safety and facilitate healthy lifestyles."

The newly awarded MDOT funds shows the federal government "continues to recognize the need to help improve Mississippi's roads and transportation infrastructure," Wicker said.