Highway patrol and driver’s license bureau moving

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, April 17, 2012

    In 2005, Troop H of the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicle’s Driver’s License Bureau were set to begin construction on a new, larger building.

    Hurricane Katrina changed all that, as she did with everything else in south and central Mississippi.

    Now Troop H is ready to finally move into their new substation on Highway 11/80. MHP public information officer Cpl. Andy West, said it has been a long road but finally they are getting into a modern, large building that can house all the assets of the MHP and the driver’s license bureau.

    “The Biloxi substation was wiped out by Katrina and the funds we had allocated to us were diverted there so they could rebuild quickly,” West said Monday afternoon. “Now we get to move into ours so it is going to be a good thing for those who work out of the Troop H substation.”

    For those Mississippians who were thinking about having their driver’s licenses renewed Wednesday or Thursday, West said they will have to go to either Newton or Philadelphia.

    “We will be moving everyone, the troopers, the investigators, the dispatchers and the driver’s license personnel on those two days so no one will be able to get service in Meridian,” West said.

    The driver’s license bureau will reopen Friday at 8 a.m.

    West said the project, which cost $4.6 million, was begun on a hill off Highway 11/80 on property given by the members of the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors. He said everyone with the troop and the bureau owe a great deal of thanks to the supervisors for their generosity. West also said State Sen. Videt Carmichael and MHP Maj. Billy Mayes also deserve a great deal of thanks for their work on the project.

    West said the personnel will be going from an old, 9,000 square foot building on Highway 19 North at College Park to the 15,000 square foot building. The grounds have much more parking space and even a helipad for helicopters if the need arises.

    West said the old building at College Park was being leased from the Matty Hersee Hospital.

    The new address for Troop H and the driver’s license bureau is 910 Highway 11/80.