The Mississippi Economic Council on Wednesday held a press conference at the Mississippi State Capitol to urge policymakers to work toward improving the state’s bridges and roads.
The MEC said over the past week and a half, nearly 5,000 residents of Mississippi submitted Road Maintenance Requests highlighting their support for developing a plan of action during the 2017 legislative session.
A study was also presented by the MEC, which reported that 2,300 state and local bridges are restricted from carrying the legal weight limit for which they were designed.
Also, the study said maintenance and road repairs would save the average Mississippi driver $530 in vehicle damage caused by failing infrastructure.
The MEC then claimed a sound infrastructure plan would be a boon for the state economy, creating over 7,000 jobs annually in Mississippi.
As part of the press conference, the MEC delivered 15 bound books containing 4,006 of the forms addressed to legislative leadership.
“Like many challenges, building a consensus for the solution is tougher than identifying the problem,” said Joe Sanderson, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms. “That’s why we are still here. We are not quitting. We are here to help build a consensus for support in this legislative session. Not next year, but this year.”