Rail Bridge: Federal Funds Secure Mississippi Highway 18 Upgrade

The Pearl-Brandon Connector project has received a major financial boost to replace a busy rail crossing in Rankin County.

The crossing on Mississippi Highway 18 currently shares the same level as the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway. This setup slows down vehicle traffic and creates safety hazards for drivers. The new design will lift the train tracks above the road, effectively removing the intersection from the daily commute.

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, along with Representative Michael Guest, all Republicans from Mississippi, announced the funding on Friday. The group secured more than $56 million in federal dollars for the construction.

Efforts to improve this stretch of the Jackson metro area began several years ago. In 2022, the same congressional delegation helped secure a $1.5 million federal grant. That initial funding allowed engineers to begin advancing the plans for the infrastructure upgrade.

The rail bridge is one component of a larger transportation strategy known as the I-20 Connector Loop. This initiative encompasses a series of road improvements designed to ease congestion throughout the region.

Construction will proceed once the new federal award is fully processed. The work aims to separate the railway from the highway permanently.