This week, the Mississippi Transportation Commission authorized the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to change signage along U.S. Highway 78 to I-22 once federal application procedures are completed.
U.S. Highway 78 connects Memphis to Birmingham via New Albany, Tupelo and Fulton. Federal law stipulates that any application to redesignate a interstate roadway undergo a federal approval process; however, MDOT stated that the highway already meets all interstate standards and will connect with an interstate within 25 years.
U.S. 78 was congressionally designated as a future interstate corridor by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) several years ago. Plans will have it connect to I-269 in Mississippi once construction is complete. The connector in Alabama will be I-65 north of downtown Birmingham.
“As expansion and growth continue in north Mississippi, I-22 will play a vital role in promoting safety and economic development throughout the region,” Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert said in a prepared statement.
Federal law formerly required a physical interstate connection for designation but that was changed in 2012 by the Obama administration, MDOT spokesman Jason Scott said. I-22, once completed, will provide what is seen as a much-needed four-lane artery connecting
Memphis and Atlanta.
Changes introduced in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) now allow states to eschew the formerly lengthy application process and request an interstate designation once the route in question meets federal standards and there are plans for the route to connect to the existing interstate system within 25 years.
