Making the Grade

A steady procession of rock trucks rolled along the new highway cut through the center of Jackson for more than a year.  Crews cleared and hauled millions of tons of rock, dirt, and debris as the Highway 15 widening project progressed. 

Crews and community members celebrated last week as blasting teams set off the first blast to bring the hillside down to grade on the south end of the project.

The blast, electronically ignited near the mouth of Indian Hollow, marked the beginning of the end of basting in the Highway 15 corridor near Jett’s Shopping Center.

Work continued throughout the week despite heavy ice, snow, and extreme cold.  By Wednesday, February 11, workers from Triton Construction had taken the hillside down to the preliminary grade from Indian Hollow to the intersection of Highway 15 and Washington Avenue.

The work marks a significant milestone, but there is much more to do.  Additional blasting is scheduled at other areas, but the bulk of the “heavy blasts” is drawing to a close.

The milestone does not mark the end of the work.  Official estimate that work at the site will continue for more than 16 months as utilities, drainage, sidewalks, and other improvements are completed by 2027.