West Rankin Parkway - Pearl, MS

Pickering was retained by the City of Pearl to design and oversee the construction of the proposed West Rankin Parkway, a component of a massive series of road improvements in the third fastest growing county in Mississippi. Prior to beginning the final roadway design and construction, Pickering conducted an environmental assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. The environmental assessment was amended for those sections of the project area that were not included in the Environmental Impact Statement for the Airport Parkway/Highway 25 Connector Project several years ago. The environmental assessment included coordination with all resource agencies regarding a commitment of no rise in flood level, cultural resources studies, noise studies, wetlands studies, and historical studies. In addition to environmental considerations, Pickering's scope of work includes numerous engineering and design features such as grade development, roadway design, base and subbase development, and surface pavement.

This 3.65 mile, corridor will serve as a complement to the development of the Airport Parkway. It is designed to serve as an urban connector between US Highway 80 and the northern segment of MS Highway 468 and MS-25. The roadway will be a four-lane parkway with curb and gutter. Land values along the proposed corridor are very likely to escalate significantly in value. Urban sprawl and secondary impacts were addressed very carefully in the environmental assessment.

A major emphasis of the environmental studies were the delineation of the wetlands in the project area. Much of the project area lies in the floodplain of the Pearl River. The area was once a series of pristine wetlands, many of which have now been drained, or otherwise modified as a part of the residential and commercial development.

West Rankin Parkway
Engineering and Environmental Assessment for a 3.65 mile section of West Rankin Parkway, Pearl, MS

Completion Date
Ongoing