Twenty seven percent of Mississippi's rural roads are rated in poor condition, according to a report from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit. And as MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports advocates are using social media as a tool to highlight poor road conditions.
The Fix MS Roads campaign is using social media and online outlets to bring roads and bridges to the forefront during election season. It's a project of the Mississippi Road Builders Association and the Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association. Michael Arnemann is executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Association.
"I had someone speak with me about a bent rim that they just recently had on their vehicle, and that's several hundred dollars to fix that or totally replace the rim," said Arnemann. "So you're seeing real world problems manifest themselves through potholes and closed bridges."
The campaign is asking residents to share photos and what they think about the state's roads.
The state needs more than $370 million annually to address the most vital road and bridges needs, according to a report from the Mississippi Economic Council.
"We have many roads that are cracked, that have ruts in them and that is a sign that the base, that the dirt material under that asphalt is failing," said Melinda McGrath with the Department of Transportation.
McGrath says more funding is needed to fix the state's roads and bridges.
"It's really more a function of just money," said McGrath. "There's just not enough money to keep everything up to a state of good repair as there is dollars to actually do that work."
More information on the campaign can be found at FixMsRoads.com.
