The Builder

Under his leadership in the Senate, over five billion dollars have been spent throughout the state on the construction and upgrade of federal and state roads, county and municipal streets and bridges; also, millions of dollars on public transit, ports, docks, railroads, airports, safety lights, safety signs and other infrastructure support systems. He personally worked to get projects such as three million dollars to repair the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Jackson; one million dollars to upgrade and repair Highway 8 in Cleveland; four million dollars to enhance Highway 552 at Alcorn State University in Lorman; one million dollars for Terrace Landing in Rosedale; ten million dollars for the Highway 82 Bypass at Leland; almost two million dollars for the repair and upgrade to Parks Road in Drew; eleven million dollars to improve Highway 14 in Sharkey County; four million two hundred thousand dollars to upgrade Highway 61 from Boyle Street to Hadley Street in Cleveland; one million dollars for street repair in Indianola and Willie Simmons led the charge to make sure that over the next ten years, one billion dollars will be earmarked from the State Lottery proceeds to enhance, repair, rebuild and maintain infrastructure systems and local transportation.