By Billy Davis

Batesville is included in a proposed highway corridor project in Mississippi and Arkansas that would four-lane Highway 6 from Interstate 55 to Clarksdale.

If that scenario sounds familiar, it’s because Batesville’s participation would mirror a long-discussed plan that also includes widening Highway 6 and building a bypass south of Batesville.

MDOT and its sister agency in Arkansas are considering five “proposed enhanced highway corridors” according to an ad set to run in the February 21 issue of The Panolian.

The four-laning of Highway 6 is not mentioned in the newspaper ad but it is one of the five projects under consideration in Mississippi and Arkansas, said Richard Allen, district engineer for the MDOT office in Batesville.

Allen said MDOT officials are referring to the proposal as the “Highway 49 Feasibility Study,” which refers to a section of state highway near Lula that is part of the proposed improvements.

A congressional earmark in Arkansas kicked off a study of the corridor improvements, he said.

The four-laning of Highway 6 and construction of a bypass have been discussed as a single project under MDOT’s “Vision 21 Plan,” which touts various traffic improvements throughout the state.

But it is unclear if the proposed bypass is part of the newest proposal. According to Allen, the widening of Highway 6 is a “planned improvement,” and the bypass is part of that plan.

“That doesn’t mean there will be funds available to pay for it,” Allen said.

The highway corridor study does not include federal funds for the bypass or for widening Highway 6, which are state projects, he further explained.

The bypass remains a controversial topic in Panola County. One argument is that it could impact business owners if traffic is diverted around Batesville while others believe it would create new commercial development along its access roads.   

MDOT officials will hold a meeting March 6 in Batesville to gather public input about the Highway 6 project and other proposals.

The newspaper ad reads, “Citizens may review the projected traffic volumes, potential environmental impacts, possible alignments, estimated costs, and economic impacts for each proposed alternative.”

Other public meetings are planned for March 5 in Clarksdale, March 7 in Helena, Ark. and in Forrest City, Ark. on March 8.