Workers lay asphalt on the Charleston Court Square Monday afternoon, Nov. 25. The Square was closed Monday to all but pedestrian and semitruck traffic from early morning until shortly after 5 p.m., when it was reopened to cars.
The Square has been closed entirely or partly a handful of times under a $1.47 million construction contract by Lehman-Roberts Company of Memphis.
The company is overlaying approximately 3 miles of Mississippi Highway 32, from the three-way intersection south of Charleston to the bridge at the eastern city limits. The work is now in its sixth week, and the project is expected to require up to 53 working days — or about 10 weeks.
This is the first time in 25 years for such an undertaking in Charleston. In 1994, Lehman-Roberts was the contractor for a $744,773 project that involved milling and a new asphalt overlay. MDOT pavement management records show there was a previous overlay of this portion of Highway 32 in 1970. Original construction of the highway occurred in 1950.
