Liberty Road (US 61) | Natchez, Mississippi

Client: Mississippi Department of Transportation

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In 2000, Mississippi Department of Transportation Direct Larry L. “Butch” Brown had a vision for an aesthetically pleasing gateway from the historic Natchez Trace Parkway into the City of Natchez.  As a result, ABMB teamed with the Natchez Historical Society to create a design that would be compatible and consistent with the tradition and heritage of historic downtown Natchez.  The project consisted of the reconstruction of an approximately 1.7 mile, five-lane roadway and an overpass structure. The roadway improvements included increased loop radii, added acceleration and deceleration lanes, control access to adjacent properties within the interchange and adequate pavement widths for future 6-lane improvements along US 61.
 
Aesthetic treatment and accent lighting was included throughout the design of the overpass structure and roadways. The design of the bridge involved extensive architectural ornamentation and lush landscaping and resulted in minimal impact to the existing adjacent residents, businesses, and schools during construction.  ABMB was also able to bring additional features into the design of the project which enhanced traffic flow and improved safety. Over an approximately two year period, ABMB, in conjunction with MDOT traffic engineering, removed the original four-lane structure resulting in the finalized project.  With the new structure in place, many problems and concerns have been addressed, including safety, traffic flow along the corridor, and improved access to adjacent properties within the interchange.

The structure type selected for the Liberty Road Bridge used bridge elements considered standard in the industry in order to reduce costs.  These elements include pre-cast pre-stressed concrete girders for the superstructure and cast-in-place structural concrete for the substructure.  Architectural treatment for the bridge includes cast-in-place “feature towers” at the center pier and abutments, form-liners and rustication details in the barrier rail, pre-cast arched panels fascia, special arched column pier supports, and pre-cast and brick veneer applications to the towers, piers and abutments to the bridge.

ABMB was winner of the 2008 FHWA Excellence in Highway Design Honorable Mention and ACEC-Mississippi 2009 Engineering Excellence Honor Award as a result of our efforts.

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