I-10 construction for 1st Buc-ee’s in Mississippi begins soon. How will it affect traffic?
Pass Christian is getting the first Buc-ee’s Travel Center in Mississippi, and road work is set to begin July 5 to widen parts of Interstate 10 to prepare for an influx of traffic.
The I-10 road work is the first phase of construction in the massive, multi-million dollar project that will be bring brisket sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets and Buc-ee’s swag to the Coast.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation laid out the plan for interchange project off Exit 24:
The Menge Avenue bridge over I-10 will be replaced.
Entrance and exit ramps will be widened on I-10.
Firetower Road will be widened.
MDOT is closing the Menge Avenue overpass for 13 months to replace the bridge. Entrance and exit ramps will remain open and detour signs will be placed so drivers are aware.
The closure of the bridge means those who travel Menge Avenue will have to find alternate routes for more than a year. Residents in the Pass Christian neighborhood Facebook group were torn about the closure, some saying it’s too long, while others are happy to see the new development come to the area.
The projected opening date for Buc-ee’s, funded by the travel center chain and Harrison County, is in 18 months, or December 2024.
“Thanks to local visionaries and private investment, the Menge Avenue interchange will soon undergo a major expansion, attracting more motorists and driving economic growth,” said Commissioner Tom King of MDOT’s Southern Transportation District.
Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner said the Buc-ee’s Travel Center “makes Harrison County a destination for travelers and businesses alike.”
Neel Shaffer and Michael Baker International will partner with MDOT as construction engineering and inspection consultants. The contractor for the project is T.L. Wallace of Columbia.
