PEARL, Miss. (WJTV) – A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday for the start of the West Rankin Parkway project.

The West Rankin Parkway, also known as State Route 477, will connect the cities of Pearl and Flowood.

According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), four miles of four-lane highway will be constructed linking U.S. 80 in Pearl to State Route 468 in Flowood. The project includes grading, drainage and bridge work.

“For over 30 years, there have been many challenges with this project. Ultimately, it came down to everyone supporting one plan, which involved Sen. Dean Kirby, his colleagues in the legislature and a new piece of legislation that would deem this route a state highway, giving Commissioner Simmons and the Mississippi Transportation Commission the authority to add it to the MDOT capacity program so that we could take it on as a project of our own,” said MDOT Executive Director Brad White. “It is this kind of partnership that brought us here today and it would not have happened without all of these players working together to move this forward.”

The nearly $60 million contract was awarded to Eutaw Construction Company, Inc., and the estimated completion date is spring 2027.