The next commissioner's meeting ought to be full of fireworks. Caldwell is well known for letting his thoughts be known.
I-55
- Thread starter preacher_dawg
- Start date
I just reread this after reading it when you posted it. It struck me that whoever is writing and saying the 18 wheelers are the problem is full of caca. If trucks are stopping to check conditions and then can't get traction on an interstate to start moving again, that means the interstate is unsafe to drive on. Which it's now obvious is the case.
How the 17 is that the fault of the driver??
I have no idea what should have been done or what to do now. Or even who knew what when or who got the worst of it. But I do know for sure that if I'm ever in a situation where I have to perform an emergency triple bypass heart surgery in the middle of nowhere with nothing but my pocket knife and a kleenex. I hope I can get cell service so I can come to this message board. Because I know for a fact that the leading experts in every area of science, literature, culture, medicine, foreign policy, and religion are found right here. Mississippi State is truly an amazing education!
MDOT criticism here is absolutely warranted.
Don’t necessarily blame the engineers on your district level. The district map lines are not to be crossed without personnel, equipment, and material charges approved. It’s a long, boring, bureaucratic story, but it helps explain the slow nature of response and the too-little-too-late half-asssery they will now throw at this with both barrels.
This is a recurring issue in many DOT’s
I read they’re dispatching milling machines to break up the ice.
1. Much more expensive and slower than plows/brine
2. If the knuckledragger operating the miller falls asleep at the controls, you may have some extensive and expensive repairs in the coming thaw. I would expect a fair amount of spalling in the surface from milling in such cold conditions.
Snow/ice event equipment and crews STATEWIDE should have been strategically mobilized to North MS on Friday, knowing this was coming.
The only time I see the DOT cooperate STATEWIDE is during hurricane evacuation, and that’s because all lanes of interstates are directed inland, and that additional funding for manpower is reimbursed by the Feds.
Your mother-ship-level DOT spin doctors in Jackson will not focus on the ridiculous bureaucratic turf wars the District Engineers on the State level are stuck with, or the near criminal mis-management of equipment and personnel we all see. They will predictably deflect from the idea that upper level laziness and pisss-poor planning on their part left the northern districts to face the music on their own, but by Saturday night it was too late.
They will instead blame lack of funds.
Don’t necessarily blame the engineers on your district level. The district map lines are not to be crossed without personnel, equipment, and material charges approved. It’s a long, boring, bureaucratic story, but it helps explain the slow nature of response and the too-little-too-late half-asssery they will now throw at this with both barrels.
This is a recurring issue in many DOT’s
I read they’re dispatching milling machines to break up the ice.
1. Much more expensive and slower than plows/brine
2. If the knuckledragger operating the miller falls asleep at the controls, you may have some extensive and expensive repairs in the coming thaw. I would expect a fair amount of spalling in the surface from milling in such cold conditions.
Snow/ice event equipment and crews STATEWIDE should have been strategically mobilized to North MS on Friday, knowing this was coming.
The only time I see the DOT cooperate STATEWIDE is during hurricane evacuation, and that’s because all lanes of interstates are directed inland, and that additional funding for manpower is reimbursed by the Feds.
Your mother-ship-level DOT spin doctors in Jackson will not focus on the ridiculous bureaucratic turf wars the District Engineers on the State level are stuck with, or the near criminal mis-management of equipment and personnel we all see. They will predictably deflect from the idea that upper level laziness and pisss-poor planning on their part left the northern districts to face the music on their own, but by Saturday night it was too late.
They will instead blame lack of funds.
I'm no expert, but this just seems like an expensive mistake just waiting to happen.
I don't think I've ever seen my skill set so perfectly encapsulated. Do you mind if I use it on my business cards going forward??
Yeah, it's the kind of **** politicians do when they realize they've 17'd up and it might actually cost them something. They blow the dam to save their own skin. Casualties be damned.
The problem with MDOT is they are always reactive rather than proactive.
Tater signed a state of emergency on Thursday, this should have cleared up funding and resources to cross district lines. You can't blame the engineers, this is a failure of leadership to not have the trucks out this weekend during the storm slinging salt.
Tater signed a state of emergency on Thursday, this should have cleared up funding and resources to cross district lines. You can't blame the engineers, this is a failure of leadership to not have the trucks out this weekend during the storm slinging salt.
Wait until the math department hears about this.
When was this released? All this should have been done last Friday. Crazy that no more preparation or prepositioning was done prior. Someone needs to be held accountable, but I doubt it will happen.
DeSoto County road crews found a way to clear roads and did a fine job of it too.
I called to District Eng in Batesville and also the Northern District Transportation director to voice my displeasure.
You can tell MDOT never attempted because there was no snow/ice pilled up on any lane of travel.
I called to District Eng in Batesville and also the Northern District Transportation director to voice my displeasure.
You can tell MDOT never attempted because there was no snow/ice pilled up on any lane of travel.
They did apply brine. I noticed it on I-55 and I-22 last week. I think the problem was not plowing what fell in the northwest section of the state Saturday and Sunday
https://mdot.ms.gov/portal/news_release_view/2593
Sure. I can send you a copy of how it looks on mine.
They applied brine. We were coming back from Georgia Friday morning and I saw it being applied on I-22.
I wouldn’t question state leadership (politically) as much as I would the department heads at DOT or, more specifically, MEMA. Working with MEMA everyday this week and it’s an absolute Charlie Fox. Politicians and other directorates were inquiring days leading up to the storm and MEMA was essentially giving them the ole “we got it.”
Then why have Desoto County and City of Olive Branch been clearing roads for 3 days? The county roads around my house have been clear for 2 days. MDOT now has had to ask Desoto County for help. I appreciate the people out working but that’s some piss poor leadership at the top.
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It's pathetic that these agencies that need ultra competent planning and leadership for life and death situations end up being staffed by completely incompetent political cronies.
Here's an updated pic for I-22 near Bayhalia (noon Thursday):
If you're wondering why your shipment that was supposed to arrive Tuesday has been delayed indefinitely, this is it.
If you're wondering why your shipment that was supposed to arrive Tuesday has been delayed indefinitely, this is it.
Had some friends in the pine belt drive up to Memphis to get some medicine for their nephew yesterday. Drove on side roads through the delta. Thank goodness they got back okay but MDOT really made it hard on them.
This is just nuts. We had similar ice in 2021 but it was drivable. I-55 south of Crystal Springs to Brookhaven may have been closed briefly then, but nothing like this. And, with more cold air moving in, no end seems to be in sight. Damn . . . Just.....Damn.
I know the weather the past two days has helped...but they did a solid job in Southaven by mid afternoon today with the main roads.Just get into next week and this area should be in much better shape(the rain mid week will actually help)...see some predictions of getting over the 50's for next weekend..Still a long way to go in some other areas of Mississippi.
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The Trace was a natural ridge as used by the native Americans, I can see geography coming into play.