Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell
- Commissioner Caldwell said he has received complaints from constituents that certain areas along state roadways were being maintained less often than expected.
Now that the mowing season is coming to a close in most of Mississippi, one member of the state’s Transportation Commission was alerted to the fact that grass along some roads were not cut as often as perhaps needed over the past summer.
Northern Commissioner John Caldwell (R) addressed the matter during Wednesday’s meeting of the Commission as expansion and or modification of some mowing contracts were being discussed.
Caldwell said that it is great to see contracts being expanded for several portions of the state, but he has received complaints from constituents that certain areas were maintained less often than expected, especially when MDOT crews were used. He added that he is aware some crews are shorthanded.
“But I still had ones that we were doing with our own people, or were shorthanded, that were halfway through the summer when we were on our first cutting,” Caldwell explained.
With seven contracts on the agenda to switch from swath cuts and litter removal to full cuts and litter removal, he asked if there are other efforts underway that will add roads not currently on the list.
Mississippi Department of Transportation Deputy Executive Director Earl Glenn said most of the contracting work is focused on interstates, while state routes are mostly covered by MDOT crews.
“In District 2 and District 1 they both have interstates that have been mainly their priority as far as the contracting out and cutting,” Glenn explained. “There’s some U.S. highways that might be involved in that as well, but … they have been doing the state routes themselves as we talked about before.
He added that if there are state routes not being cut as planned, then it is something he will look into, asking Commissioner Caldwell for a list of the roads being affected.
Caldwell suggested that if those areas cannot be maintained with MDOT manpower next year, there may be a need to look at expanding the number of contracts.
In relation to that discussion, the Commission approved modifications to the following seven contracts:
- Approved the modification of four contracts with Rotolo Consultants Inc. to replace swath cut mowing and litter removal cycles with full cut cycles, increasing the previous total acreage from 2,696 by 3,853 acres of all four contracts to a new total of 6,549 acres. The new total cost of all four contracts will be $1.45 million, a total increase of about $383,110.
- Approved the revision of three contracts with J. West Inc. to replace swath cuts and litter removal will full cuts. Additional acreage added for all three contract modifications total 1,936, bringing the new total acreage to 3,341, an increase of 1,405 acres. The modifications will increase the cost of all three contracts by $90,584 to a new total of $646,324.
Jeremy Pittari
