Jackson Free Press

The city canceled the groundbreaking ceremony for the Capitol Street two-way project this morning.

The ceremony, which the city had scheduled for 10 a.m. today, was supposed to kick off a major construction project that will include water and sewer line improvements and making Capitol Street two-way between Gallatin and State streets, as well as new lighting, signage and bike lanes along Capitol Street.

City director of communications Chris Mims said the city has not yet rescheduled the groundbreaking.

"We had sent out invites, and we had several folks that we really needed to be there (who) had scheduling conflicts," Mims told the Jackson Free Press. "So we went ahead and decided to cancel and reschedule for another day."

Contractors are ready to begin construction on the first phase, which will focus on water and sewer improvements under the street, Mims said. The sewer lines under Capitol Street are old and are likely part of the approximately $400-million worth of improvements the U.S. Environment Protection Agency is requiring the city to do to its sewer system over the next several years. The city had planned the work before it came to an agreement on the recently approved consent decree, Mims said.

The city will use part of a $6-million bond it received from the state in 2010 for water and sewer emergencies on the Capitol Street improvement project.

Further funding for the project includes a $2 million grant from the Mississippi Development Authority and $3.5 million in federal earmarks that require a 20-percent match from the city.

All of the water and sewer work will take place between Gallatin and Lamar streets. The city will repave that section of Capitol Street once the water and sewer lines are completed.

The city does not plan to repave the rest of Capitol Street for the project. It will paint new lines on the portion of the street between Lamar Street and State Street after completing the stretch from Gallatin Street to Lamar Street.

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority will also have work to do to get traffic flowing east and west on Capitol Street. In July, the board approved construction to remove the entrance and exit ramps to the JRA-owned Jackson Place parking garage along Capitol Street. The state provided a $2 million grant for the construction.

After considering several options, including an internal ramp, which JRA board members found to be far too pricey for their budget, the JRA decided to install similar ramps along the Farish Street side of the building.