Natchez officials make another try to repair more city streets

NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials are making another try to get road builders to submit bids for repairing much-traveled downtown Natchez streets after no contractor came forward by last week’s deadline.

The original street resurfacing plans are being revised to make it “more appetizing for contractors,” Mayor Dan Gibson said Tuesday as Natchez aldermen agreed to seek proposals from bidders on how much the streamlined street work will cost.

No street-paving company submitted proposals as previously sought by city officials because it would be another year before they could finish projects elsewhere to get to Natchez.

 With “our goal being getting the streets repaired and smooth this year rather than waiting until next year,” Gibson said, aldermen agreed to reduce the scope of the work to just repairing the streets’ asphalt base and not applying the more extensive surface sealants.

The project includes Main, Franklin, Canal and Homochitto streets.

While no company submitted proposals by June 10’s deadline set by Gibson and aldermen in April, the mayor said Tuesday they have identified a company that could do the revised plans. The actual bids and costs of the project will be submitted later this summer for aldermen to review.

The planned street project is in addition to what the city began last year to repave other Natchez thoroughfares, such as Cemetery Road, Liberty Road, Melrose-Montebello Parkway, Auburn Avenue, Fatherland Road, Arlington Avenue and Jeff Davis Boulevard. 

He acknowledged Tuesday he had hoped a final deal with the Natchez-based contractor would be ready for approval, but “just bear with us. We’re close – closer than ever” to getting the long-stalled road project underway.

It’s been Natchez-Adams County officials’ top priority for years to widen a one-mile stretch of the much-traveled, treacherous Morgantown Road and improve drainage so it won’t flood during heavy rains.

Construction bids last year were too expensive and had to be rejected. Engineering plans were then revised to reduce costs. Natchez-Adams County has about $4 million in federal, state and local funds to improve the thoroughfare that runs from north Natchez into the county by U.S. 61.

A separate phase of the project to be contracted later is to widen Morgantown Road.