All across the Golden Triangle, crews have been hard at work developing new parks, repaving new roads and constructing new facilities for companies.
Starkville/Oktibbeha
Road work has continued chugging along in Starkville as the Highway 182 revitalization project continues to make progress with about a half of the mile-long stretch of improvements complete. The project will reduce the street down to two lanes, add sidewalks, install new drainage and relocate utilities underground. The project, which begins near Long Street and goes up the west side of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., should be finished in late 2027.
Downtown, the $7.5 million Main Street Revitalization project, which began construction in July, is on pace to be completed by the end of this year. The project aims to expand sidewalks, add additional lighting and brickwork to the street. The project recently wrapped up construction efforts in front of City Hall, including brick laying for the roundabout which reopened in February. The project has moved on to phase 4 of 6, which includes the section of road between Lafayette and Jackson streets.
Starkville has also continued moving forward in planning a new roundabout for Highway 12 near Garrard Road with an $8 million Safe Streets for All grant the city received in July. The project is expected to begin construction in the fall and is projected to be completed by 2028.
In February the city accepted a $120,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Recreation Trails Program to go towards a new skate park at the Starkville Sportsplex. The remaining roughly $280,000 of the project is being covered by the city’s 1% and 2% tourism taxes. While the project is still in early design phases, the plan is for construction to be complete by the end of the year.
Oktibbeha County, after finalizing the $55 million sale of OCH Regional Medical Center in October to Baptist Memorial Healthcare, approved the Oktibbeha County Reserve and Trust Fund Act in February. The board placed the proceeds into a professionally managed endowment while also passing a resolution to issue up to $15 million of the funds in bonds to fund county-wide capital projects.
The George M. Bryan Airport began dirt work for a 1,000-foot extension to its runway in December. The $10 million project is projected to be complete some time in 2027. The airport is also building a new 100-by-65-foot corporate hangar which is expected to begin in the summer. The airport is also expected to break ground on a helicopter and living quarters building sometime in April or May.
The county also began a $330,000 renovation project at the County Administrative Annex, which is expected to be completed in 2026.
Columbus/Lowndes
Columbus has nearly completed about $6 million in ARPA funded drainage work, which seeks to address flooding issues in Wards 1, 4 and 5. The projects include ditch and box culvert clearing, replacing some drains and erosion control in ditches. Crews have nearly wrapped up a box culvert and pipe replacement. The work is expected to be complete by the summer.
In December the city shifted about $269,000 in ARPA funds toward a pair of smaller drainage projects on Highway 45 and Summerhaven Drive. Both projects are projected to be complete by June.
The city has continued trucking along with $1.8 million in Fifth Street North improvements, which include narrowing lanes, new lighting, a new signal at Fifth Avenue North and Fifth Street North and adding sidewalks and bike lanes. Crews have largely completed demolition work on the street and have made significant strides in sidewalks and driveways since October. The project is expected to be completed sometime in April or May.
The nearly decade-long redevelopment effort in Burns Bottom is projected to complete roughly $5.2 million worth of initial infrastructure improvements sometime between December and early 2027. Friendly City Development, since entering into a $800,000 deal with the city’s redevelopment board in August, has sold 11 of its initial 28 lots, which could begin seeing houses going up in early 2027.
In January, the city received a more than $536,000 grant from the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund to cover a kayak and canoe launch at Propst Park for the city’s Fossil Park project. The grant covers about two-thirds of the projected cost of the project. Construction is expected to begin some time in 2026.
Beginning in late April or early May, the city will begin about $3 million in repaving efforts that will include streets as well as a number of parking lots in need of improvements. The work is expected to be completed before November.
The city and the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau each ponied up an additional $1 million to go alongside $1 million in state funds for capital improvements at the Terry Brown Amphitheater. Construction will include new restrooms, a concession stand and gating in the venue and is projected to be complete around the end of the year to early 2027.
The city has set aside $100,000 for the construction of field lights at Propst Park. The city is currently taking bids on the project and hopes to have the lights constructed by April.
At the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport there are a number of ongoing and future projects which include a new weather system, which is expected to begin construction around the fall with completion expected before the end of the year. A new open hangar to increase capacity at the airport, is also expected to begin construction around the fall and is projected to be completed in 2027.
Out in Lowndes County, more than 40 roads are set for repavement this year thanks to $11 million in state and county funds.
PACCAR Engine Company’s Lowndes County plant completed construction on its new remanufacturing facility, which officially opened in March. The additional 50,000 square-foot building is expected to bring an additional 100 jobs.
In December, Firehawk Aerospace, a Texas-based munitions company that develops rockets and motors powered by 3D printed propellants, signed a 20-year lease agreement for 636 acres in Lowndes county. The business is expected to bring roughly 100 jobs over the next five years.
Just outside the Caledonia town limits, the new Caledonia Combustion Power Plant broke ground in October. The project, which represents an $800 million investment by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is expected to be completed by May 2028.
West Point/Clay
West Point has plans to repave about $2 million in city and neighborhood streets. The city will begin addressing repaving efforts sometime before April.
Down Highway 45 South, West Point has been working since May on installing a new sewer line to increase capacity around the south side of the city limits. The line will filter to the city’s main plant and will increase capacity for the city’s sewage system. The $3 million project is expected to be completed in March.
In the center of the city, the West Point Growth Alliance is expected to begin a beautification project at West Point City Park with more than $161,000 the organization has received in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The project will include the demolition and replacement of the park’s gazebo, construction of new benches and landscaping work. The project is expected to begin in May with a projected completion in September.
Macon/Noxubee
In Noxubee County, there has been continued work on the county’s new $2 million emergency operations center, which is expected to be completed in March. The location for the center will be by the current center in the Macon city center on Washington Street. The intent is for the building to be a safer and more modern center for the county.
Huber Engineered Woods has continued construction of the organization’s newest wood mill near Shuqualak. The project continues toward a completion date in the second half of 2026. The project is projected to bring about 150 new jobs to the area for positions in logging, hauling and hospitality.
A $350,000 bridge construction out on Mickens Clay Road is expected to be finished by May.
The county is also looking to perform $1.2 million of road resealing, which will cover about 10 miles of roads some time in April or May.
Noxubee County is poised to gain a major expansion in local health care access with Noxubee Medical Complex’s planned $8.5 million outpatient pavilion, which is expected to open in 2027. Hospital leaders say the project is designed to keep more patients in the county by adding space for visiting specialists and new services that residents now often have to seek in Columbus, Meridian or Starkville.
The pavilion will include an infusion center, therapy services, another primary care clinic, a geriatric mental health day program and upgraded diagnostic equipment, while also creating room for rotating specialists such as cardiology, orthopedics, neurology and pediatrics. Hospital officials hope the expansion will not only make care more convenient in this rural county, but also strengthen the hospital financially by boosting outpatient revenue in the years ahead.
STORY BY BRADEN SIMMONS
PHOTOS BY DEANNA ROBINSON