Starlanding Road West widening work

As construction continues in the area where the new DeSoto County Emergency Operations Center, a new National Guard Armory, Community Storm Shelter, and the new DeSoto County Agri-Education Center are to be located, the need for improvements for Starlanding Road has become obvious. 

To address that issue, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors has plans to widen the roadway, plans officially put into motion with Friday afternoon’s groundbreaking ceremony. 

The project will expand Starlanding Road West into a four-lane boulevard with a landscaped center island. Improved traffic flow, safety and accessibility are the goals of the project.  

Some temporary traffic interruptions are to be expected during construction and county officials say they are committed to minimizing the disruptions. 

For 25 years, county officials have planned for the widening work about to begin. A bridge was widened and money was allocated toward the project, going back to when Thad Cochran and Trent Lott served in the U.S. Senate.  

An expected growing need to provide a widened roadway for traffic requires the widening of the roadway to take place.

“We used to grow cotton and soybeans, but today we grow house tops,” said Supervisor Lee Caldwell. “We want to have a quality of life for the people that live in those house tops.”

Construction is planned to begin next week.