Higher Ground

Marshall County officials and local residents gathered Thursday, Oct. 22, to celebrate the official opening of a newly elevated road with two bridges, ending a five-year effort to secure reliable access through a historically flood-prone bottom on Blackwater Road.

The extensive infrastructure project, which cost close to $1 million, raised the half-mile roadbed by approximately 7 feet and installed two new bridges. For years, the route served as a main roadway for the Laws Hill community, but frequent flooding routinely cut off travel and posed a significant hazard to public safety.

District 4 Supervisor George Zinn noted that while the board of supervisors recognized the dire need to raise the road out of the flood zone, the county initially lacked the funds to complete the work.

“This was actually a main artery here that serves a lot of people on that end down there,” Zinn said. “And this bottom has been known to flood occasionally.”

The financial breakthrough began when state Rep. John Faulkner, D-Holly Springs, secured $500,000 in state funding for the project. When that initial appropriation proved insufficient to cover the extensive dirt work and dual-bridge construction, state Rep. Bill Kinkade, R-Byhalia, stepped in to redirect funds from a stalled project in his district to help cross the finish line.

Faulkner attended the Oct. 22 opening ceremony, praising the bipartisan, cross-district teamwork that brought the project to fruition.

“It is a good day for Marshall County, it’s a good day for the Laws Hill community,” Faulkner said. “This is an example of what happens when local and state governments work together.”

Zinn acknowledged the long timeline of the five-year project, adding a fitting local phrase to describe the process.

“You may have heard that old cliché, they say that wait broke the bridge,” Zinn said. “Well, I think in this case, we can clearly say wait built this bridge, because the mere fact that we waited until we had some funds to get it done is what actually allowed this to happen.”

For the residents who travel the road daily and endured over a year of detours during construction, the improvements are life-changing. Residents Jessie Fessmire and Mcewen Walker both expressed their gratitude for the new access route.

“I’ve been down here for 86 years,” Fessmire said. “I was down here with a little wooden bridge... we never thought we’d get to the bottom of the creek. But we’re glad to see this done.”

Walker echoed that sentiment, recalling the road’s impassable history during severe weather.

“I’m proud of the road, it is wonderful,” Walker said. “I saw this road when there was nothing... I’ve backed right out a bunch of times.”

County law enforcement officials also praised the opening, noting that stable, elevated infrastructure is vital for emergency response. “Good roads and public safety go side by side,” Sheriff Kenny Dickerson said. “The better your roads are, the quicker we can get to someone in dire need.”

According to Zinn, the total cost of the project will reach approximately $900,000 once final road topping is completed.