Construction trucks, bright orange cones and cement barriers no longer block Interstate 55’s northbound 96A exit ramp on Pearl Street in Jackson after the Mississippi Department of Transportation fully reopened the exit on Tuesday.

The Pearl Street exit is one of the Interstate-55 ramps drivers can take to access downtown Jackson, but one lane remained closed until yesterday. Daily traffic on the exit ranges between 3,000 and 4,600, MDOT Public Information Officer Mike Flood told the Mississippi Free Press on Tuesday.

MDOT closed the lanes temporarily to make a “major bridge deck repair” on I-55 over the Pearl River, the agency said in a Tuesday press release. 

Some lanes are still closed on the opposite side of I-55 on the southbound road over the Pearl River while MDOT crews complete construction. 

“Lane closures remain in place on the southbound side of I-55 over the Pearl River as crews work to finish concrete pours. Until this work is complete, drivers are advised to slow down, stay alert for roadside crews, concrete barriers and changing traffic conditions,” MDOT said in a Tuesday press release.

➡️ Read more stories from the Capital City Bureau here.

State Reporter Heather Harrison has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work. At Mississippi State University, she studied public relations and broadcast journalism, earning her Communication degree in 2023. For three years, Heather worked at The Reflector student newspaper: first as a staff reporter, then as the news editor and finally, as the editor-in-chief. This is where her passion for politics and government reporting began.
Heather started working at the Mississippi Free Press three days after graduation in 2023. She also worked part time for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings.
In her free time, Heather likes to sit on the porch, read books and listen to Taylor Swift. A native of Hazlehurst, she now lives in Brandon with her wife and their Boston Terrier, Finley, and calico cat, Ravioli.