MDOT project halted after contractor goes bankrupt

TUPELO — The bankruptcy of a general contractor has prompted the Mississippi Department of Transportation to halt work on a district office in Tupelo.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports the new $5.1 million, 34,000-square-foot office was scheduled to be finished in August.

The general contractor, DC&M in Bay St. Louis, filed for bankruptcy in mid-January and that halted work.

“Since the 2000s, we’ve had a couple road projects where the general contractor pulled out, and maybe a couple of building projects where something similar happened, but never this far into a project,” said project engineer Matt Dunn.

Dunn said office is about 20 percent complete. He said it’s up to the bonding company to figure out how to finish the project.

“The state won’t be out any additional money,” Dunn said.

Dunn said whatever difference is left between the original bid and what it takes to finish the project will be paid by the bonding company.

MDOT’s original estimate for the project was more than $7.2 million. The project was let in October 2010, but construction didn’t start until March of last year.

For now, when the work continues will depend on when the bonding company selects a new general contractor, Dunn said.