The Mississippi Department of Transportation intends to solicit proposals to develop, construct, finance, operate and maintain a new, 12-mile toll road facility located just east of downtown Jackson and extending eastward to the suburbs of Jackson and the Jackson International Airport ("Airport Parkway Project"). The Airport Parkway Project presents a strong value proposition, connecting downtown Jackson with the significant and fast-growing suburban population east of Jackson.

The Jackson metropolitan area has been experiencing substantial population and economic growth over the past decade. In particular, within the last five years, the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area (“MSA”) has seen its population grow at an approximate annual rate of 3.5%, outpacing the rate of growth in the State as a whole and in the United States.

The Airport Parkway Project has been proposed to address this growth and resulting congestion. The proposed Project consists of an access-controlled, high-speed toll road to be constructed on new alignments. The proposed alignment will start at I-55 in the west, extend to the east into the cities of Flowood and Pearl, and, after diverging at the proposed West Rankin Parkway, will terminate at MS 25 north of the Airport and at MS 475 to the south of the Airport. The Project will be comprised of approximately twelve (12) miles of roadway to be opened to traffic by the end of 2012.

The Project is intended to relieve current and future road congestion within the Jackson area and provide time and fuel saving benefits. Specifically, the Project should reduce network travel times via needed roadway links, improve levels of service and operational efficiency along existing roadways, and integrate the Jackson area with other areas that are served by major highways to promote the region’s economic growth and development.