The first of six bridge projects along U.S. Highway 80 between Newton and Chunky are set to begin this week. The project entails one bridge repair, while a total of five old bridges will be replaced with new, wider bridges (12’ lanes and 6’ shoulders) as part of the improvement of safety and efficiency along U.S. Highway 80.
Beginning on Thursday, Oct. 16, work will begin on the first bridge on U.S. Highway 80 over Turkey Creek, located between Norman Road and Experiment Station Road. The temporary bridge closure means that section of the highway will be closed, and MDOT will have traffic control and detour signage in place to reroute traffic around the closure on I-20 between Newton and Hickory interchanges. MDOT advises that drivers should slow down and be alert for posted signage and road crews.
According to MDOT officials, the tentative schedule for the first bridge replacement to be wrapped up and finalized will be Spring of 2026. After that, MDOT they will move to the next bridge along that route, which is 5.5 miles east, and begin its replacement. Overall, the bridge replacement project for all bridges along the Highway 80 corridor is tentatively scheduled to be finalized in Sept. of 2028.
MDOT Central Commissioner Willie Simmons shared with the Newton County Board of Supervisors in September that thanks to state legislation, they have a $25 million grant that will be used to take care of the bridges on Highway 80 in Newton County, which they are thankful for.
“We have a lot of work to do to replace those bridges, and we need to do that because of the condition of those bridges. The grant is going to give us money for Newton County, Lauderdale County, and Madison County,” said Simmons. “When we complete them, it’s going to put your bridges on Highway 80, and the other counties, in pretty good shape.”
