Legislators Secure Funding to Improve Intersection of Highway 7 and University Avenue

The busy intersection of Highway 7 and University Avenue in Oxford, Mississippi, will soon be upgraded thanks to money reserved for Lafayette County by Representative Clay Deweese and Senator Nicole Akins Boyd.

House Bill 1730, which was passed earlier this session, contains a number of bond bills for different projects around the state.  The Lafayette County legislators pushed for the $4 million in the bill that will go to improving the intersection.

“Last spring, we began meeting with House and Senate leadership to plead Oxford’s infrastructure needs,” said Deweese.  “Working with our entire Lafayette County delegation, we continued to push for the project.  Receiving this funding has been a significant team effort with our mayor and city officials.  I can’t say enough about the leadership and labor of Mayor Tannehill in presenting our case for funding.  We still have significant traffic challenges in Oxford and Lafayette County.  I am looking forward to working with this team to secure additional funding in the future.”

“Going into and throughout the session, Representative Deweese and I were constantly meeting with the leadership in our respective chambers on our significant infrastructure needs,” said Boyd.  “Our community has not received this type of infrastructure support since 2015 when we received monies to assist with West Oxford Loop and Buddy East Parkway.  Securing funding has been a total team effort from the Lafayette County delegation, including Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, Representative Steve Massengill, Representative Jim Beckett and Representative John Faulkner.  Mayor Tannehill has also been unrelenting in her efforts to help legislators understand our transportation needs.”

Deweese and Boyd look forward to continuing to work together to secure more funding for the Oxford and Lafayette County areas.

“Senator Nicole Boyd and Representative Clay Deweese are bright stars and effective advocates,” Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann said.  “In a very short time and as first-year legislators, they have built excellent relationships between the communities and counties they represent at home and legislators here in Jackson. This funding shows the result of their efforts.”