By Staff
Sept. 15, 2002
Highway work around Philadelphia announced last week by Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall is good news for residents and visitors alike. A contract for the first phase of four-laning a 21/2-mile stretch of Highway 16 near the Choctaw Reservation will be followed next month with bids for the second phase, which will widen about two additional miles. The first phase is to be completed by October 2005.
Highway 16 passes the Choctaws' Golden Moon and Silver Star hotels and casinos and the Choctaws' Dancing Rabbit Golf Club all part of the Pearl River Resort. The two-lane stretch is congested with traffic heading to and from the casinos. It also is also becoming increasingly lined with convenience stores, motels and other small businesses.
Hall also made an important distinction the current Highway 16 projects should not be confused with MDOT's future plans to build a bypass around Philadelphia. And when that project is done, traffic congestion in downtown Philadelphia will improve.