MDOT to hold I-69 meetings

NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI — The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), in cooperation with local governments, will host two public meetings Jan. 25 to discuss high-capacity transit service along the Interstate 69 (I-69) corridor from DeSoto and Tunica counties in Northwest Mississippi to the Memphis Central Business District.

The upcoming meetings are the first in a series of public meetings scheduled for the “I-69 Corridor Alternatives Analysis Study,” an 18-month project to evaluate whether new high-capacity transit services should be introduced in the region. High-capacity transit services could include bus rapid transit, light rail or commuter rail.

DeSoto County is projected to add nearly 100,000 more people by 2030, which translates to more than 36,000 new households. With a typical household generating 10 trips each day, the local transportation system will become more congested and travel times will increase.

Northwest Mississippi is also a growing center for employment and tourism. Today, approximately 28,000 people commute each day from DeSoto County to Shelby County, Tenn., for work, with more than 10,000 people commuting from Shelby County to jobs in DeSoto and Tunica counties. More than 10 million people visit Tunica Resorts each year.

The two public meetings will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven and St. Paul Catholic Church in Memphis.

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One Response to “MDOT to hold I-69 meetings”

1. MDOT Exploring High-Capacity Transit for I-69: Build I-69 Says:
   January 25th, 2010 at 9:36 pm

   [...] to the Mississippi Business Journal, MDOT is holding public meetings to kick off an “18-month study to evaluate whether new [...]