Tunnel Coming to Brandon

by Ben BeEssen

Rankin County is on a heater right now. The county is growing like kudzu, and the City of Brandon is a huge part of the growth. Things are a abuzz in Brandon: new restaurants, new businesses, new neighborhoods, and more. The only negative thing about the growth and progress in downtown Brandon is the traffic. It can be a nightmare during rush hour, but that is going to change in the future.

The Central MS Transit Authority (CMTA) just announced that they will be overseeing the construction of a tunnel that will hopefully alleviate the downtown traffic issue. The tunnel will extend from Hwy. 80/Government St. (just off exit 56 on I-20) to the intersection of College St. and Hwy. 18. The tunnel will essentially bypass downtown Brandon, and hopefully alleviate the downtown traffic problem.

A CMTA spokersperson said, “We’re excited to bring this to the residents of Rankin County and Brandon. The traffic issue in downtown is only going to get worse as time goes on, so this tunnel is a good solution to solve the traffic problem. We plan to start the surveying and pre-construction work in the next month or so. The project is estimated to take around 2.5 years to complete, so this isn’t an immediate fix.”

The tunnel is estimated to cost around $750 million. So, how is the tunnel going to be paid for you might ask? A federal grant is going to cover $600 million, and the state has allocated $125 million for the project. The remaining $25 million will come from revenue bonds issued by the CMTA. Drivers will have to pay a $1 toll to enter the tunnel from both ends. CMTA will offer a “tunnel pass” for $35/month for people that use the tunnel frequently. That revenue will be used to maintain the tunnel. Any excess revenue that isn’t used for the maintenance will go to pay down the $25 million of CMTA bonds. So, the tunnel will not cost anything to the City of Brandon or Rankin County.

Brandon Mayor, Dutch Gee, is excited about the tunnel. He said, “Everyone is excited about the things going on in downtown Brandon, but traffic is a big issue. I think this tunnel will help things a great deal. Many are worried about it bypassing downtown, but I really don’t think it will hurt our downtown businesses and restaurants. I think it will actually help them, because the traffic and parking issues should be better.”

Not everyone is happy about the tunnel though. One resident said, “I have to pay a dollar every time I go through the tunnel. Are you kidding me? That is ridiculous! I’m going to avoid it based on that principal alone.”

Another resident I spoke with said, “That tunnel is going to be pretty long. How are people going to hold their breath that long? They need to think about the potential health and safety risks associated with this thing.”

Construction will begin soon, and the SRVO will keep you updated on the progress.