{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2026/7/wicker-welcomes-new-roadway-funding", "Wicker Welcomes New Roadway Funding", "2026-07-01", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., released the following statement after the Department of Transportation awarded Mississippi a total of $51,160,000 in three grants. These funds will support infrastructure investments such as roadway improvements, safety improvement measures, lane widening, and increased truck parking.\n\n\u201cRoadways are the building blocks of a strong economy. These grants will help Mississippians do business, welcome tourists, and visit loved ones. I stand ready to help local leaders put these funds to work right away,\u201d said Senator Wicker.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of MDOT and the Mississippi Transportation Commission, I am pleased to be amongst several recipients for the USDOT Build grants. I want to thank Senator Wicker for his steadfast advocacy for transportation in Mississippi. These BUILD grants will allow us to advance critical projects on both the state and local systems, continuing the progress Senator Wicker has championed for our state\u2019s infrastructure over many years,\u201d said MDOT Executive Director Brad White. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful he shares MDOT\u2019s vision of building and maintaining better roads for the people of Mississippi.\u201d\n\nThe Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program provides competitive discretionary grants to support investments in nationally and regionally significant surface transportation projects, including highways, bridges, ports, rail, transit, and multimodal freight infrastructure. Unlike formula programs, BUILD grants are awarded competitively by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Senator Wicker has been a strong advocate for the program, and, as the lead Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee during consideration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, he helped secure significant additional authorized funding for BUILD grants.\n\nMississippi was awarded the following grants:\n\nMississippi Department of Transportation - $22,100,000\n\nThis project will construct truck parking and technology improvements along the I-10 Corridor at the Hancock County Welcome Center. The project will increase the number of truck parking spaces from 20 to 74. It also includes technology upgrades to the existing welcome center lot.\n\nCity of Brandon - $24,060,000\n\nThis project will construct roadway, pedestrian, and intersection improvements along U.S. Highway 80. It also includes modifications to two intersections located at College Street and Overby Street/SR 471.", 1, "2026-07-02T06:20:02Z", "2026-07-02T06:21:32Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2026/7/wicker-welcomes-new-roadway-funding"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7829500827938318, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}