Title 65, Highways, Bridges and Ferries

The reports of the road commissioners and the road superintendent shall be kept on file by the clerk of the board of supervisors and shall be open to inspection of any resident or taxpayer of such road district.

The road superintendent shall have the power to purchase nails, lumber, tools, and other things necessary, where the need for the same is immediate and the value of said purchase does not exceed Fifty Dollars ($50.00). In cases of emergency he shall have power to contract for the…

All the provisions of law in respect to roads and bridges, so far as applicable and where not in conflict with the special provisions in respect to separate road districts, shall govern in said road districts.

Where any public highway being constructed, improved, or maintained by any separate road district shall run or extend into or through any incorporated municipality within the said district, such highway may be constructed, improved, and maintained the same within as without the c…

Whenever the owners of not less than one-half of the land bordering on or adjacent to any section of road established shall petition for a survey and estimate of the cost of building the road in a substantial and permanent manner of stone, gravel, chert, slag, brick, a combinatio…

The board, in assessing the benefits derived by any land in such district, shall consider only its proximity to the road and its market terminus. No benefit assessment shall be made on any lands when the distance between it and the nearest point on the road is greater than three …

The board shall provide for the collection of taxes from the benefit district in such annual installments as it may determine, extending over not more than fifteen years, and may borrow money in advance of the collection of such taxes, in which event an amount sufficient to pay t…

(1) Whenever the owners of not less than one-half (½) of all lots bordering on any unpaved, dedicated public street or road within a developed subdivision located outside the boundaries of any incorporated municipality of a county petition for a survey and estimate of the cost of…

If the qualified electors petitioning for the creation and organization of a separate road district shall so desire, they may petition, in addition, that the proceeds of the sale of said bonds may be used to extend and build roads beyond the limits of such district and that a tax…

All bridges and culverts hereafter built, rebuilt, or placed in the traveled way of any public road in this state shall conform to the design standards in effect at the time of design and shall extend across the full width of the crown of the roadway. On roads having a design wid…

The boards of supervisors of the respective counties are hereby authorized and empowered to acquire by purchase or condemnation proceedings privately owned bridges across rivers or other bodies of water where the said bridges form a link or part of any county, public road, or hig…

In event the board of supervisors and the owners of such bridges cannot agree upon the price to be paid therefor, then the board of supervisors may condemn such bridge as a necessary part of the public road or highway of which said bridge connects and forms a part, and the amount…

The board of supervisors of one or more counties, acting individually or jointly by agreement with the private owner or owners, may purchase and maintain toll-free one or more toll bridges in one or more counties. However, this section and 65-21-17 shall not apply to any intersta…

For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of Section 65-21-15, the board or boards of supervisors may, in the same manner as set forth in said section, declare it to be their intention to issue bonds not earlier than thirty days and publish the same, stating the amount of co…

When a bridge over any stream or other water will connect two or more districts in any county and the districts so connected shall desire to join in defraying the costs and expenses incident to the building and construction of said bridge, or if only one of said districts shall d…

Should the result of such election show that it has carried in favor of the issuance of bonds by a majority vote in each district or in the one district, as the case may be, then it shall be the duty of the board of supervisors to issue the bonds of such districts or district aff…

When a bridge shall be necessary over a stream or any other body of water which divides one county from another, or a bridge over a river or any other body of water flowing from one county into another shall be necessary at the intersection of the river and the line between the c…

A bridge built at the intersection of a river flowing from one county into another shall be built at the nearest available site to said intersection. A municipality which, in the judgment of its governing authorities, will be benefited by the construction of such bridge may join …

In case any public highway of any county in the state shall cross any river or stream on such highway within the boundaries of any municipality, in whole or in part, and it shall be deemed by the board of supervisors to be to the interest of the public that a free or toll bridge …

For the purpose of the construction and operation of the bridges mentioned in Section 65-21-27, the board of supervisors of the county, in the construction and management of same shall be vested with all the powers and authority provided by law for bridging streams of the county,…

When any governing board of a political subdivision of the state or the governing board of a municipality must physically close a bridge or bridges under its jurisdiction in order for the state, a political subdivision of the state and/or a municipality of the state to receive or…

The several counties of this state bordering on the tide water of the Gulf of Mexico are authorized and empowered, in the discretion of the boards of supervisors of such counties or of any of them, to provide for the proper illumination of all such bridges and other parts of any …

The boards of supervisors may, when the same cannot otherwise be conveniently maintained, establish, license, construct, maintain, and operate a toll bridge or ferry on any part of a public road, and shall fix and regulate the tolls.

The board of supervisors shall require the keeper of every toll bridge or ferry to give bond with two or more sufficient sureties, to be approved by the president and clerk of the board in a penalty, to be fixed by the board, of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) and no…

Any municipality, state highway commission, or county, severally or acting with other authorized agencies in this or adjoining states, may acquire, own, operate, construct, or aid in the construction in whole or in part improving and extending, and maintain toll bridges or free b…

The Mississippi State Highway Commission may, when in its opinion the best interest of the state requires, contribute such an amount of the cost of the construction of such bridge or bridges as it may determine would be to the best interest of the State of Mississippi when such b…

The public agencies herein named, either jointly or severally, may acquire by purchase, gift, donation, or by eminent domain all necessary land, rights of way, easements, and supplies for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, operating, improving, extending, and maintai…

Nothing in this article shall authorize or permit the collection of tolls on any bridge heretofore made toll-free or on any existing bridge on which tolls are not at present collected.

Any municipality, county, parish, highway commission, or other political authority in an adjoining state which has been properly authorized by the laws of that state and the United States may exercise in the State of Mississippi any and all the powers granted in this article to m…

Any municipality or public authority hereinabove set forth, either jointly or severally, may enter into contracts with the United States of America, or any agency thereof, under the provisions of the National Industrial Recovery Act and the regulations made in pursuance thereof, …

This article, being necessary for and to secure the public health, safety, convenience, and welfare of municipalities, counties, and other political agencies of the State of Mississippi, shall be liberally construed to effect the purposes hereof.

In order to secure funds or a part of the funds for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, owning, operating, improving, extending, and maintaining toll bridges and approaches thereto, all public agencies named in Section 65-23-1 may issue negotiable toll bridge revenue bonds an…

The holders of any bond or interest coupon issued under the provisions of this article may by suit, action, mandamus, or other proceedings at law or in equity enforce or compel performance by the appropriate official or officials of a municipality or public body of any and all ac…

The powers conferred by this article shall be in addition to the powers conferred by any other law, general, special or local. This article, without reference to any other statute or to any charter, shall be deemed full authority to purchase, build, improve, own, and operate the …

Any municipality or county or political subdivision desiring to come under this article, whether such municipality be a special charter municipality or not, may so do and may own, operate, and maintain such toll bridge wholly within the State of Mississippi or partly within the S…

When fifty or more owners of real property within a proposed district shall file a petition with the chancery court of the county in which the largest portion of the lands of the proposed district are situated, seeking to establish a bridge district for the purpose of constructin…

If, upon the hearing provided in Section 65-23-201, petitions are presented to the chancery court signed by property owners within the proposed district who own a majority of the real property in said district as determined by the value thereof, praying that the improvement be ma…

When the chancery court has established a bridge district as hereinabove provided, it shall appoint five owners of real property residing within the district to act as commissioners. Each commissioner shall take the oath of office required by Section 268 of the Constitution of Mi…

The commissioners hereinabove provided shall receive the sum of Ten Dollars ($10.00) per day for each day, or major fraction thereof, in which they are called upon to attend the meetings of the board, together with necessary travel expenses not to exceed Six Cents (6¢) per mile f…

The board of commissioners shall have the power to employ engineers, attorneys, auditors, manager or superintendent, and such other employees as may be necessary for the orderly function of such district, and to fix their respective compensation.

As soon as the board of commissioners shall have formed plans for such bridge and the approaches thereto and shall have ascertained the cost thereof, it shall file the same with the chancery clerk of each county having territory in said district. The plans shall be accompanied by…

The board of commissioners shall proceed to assess the lands within the district, shall inscribe in a book the description of each tract, piece, and parcel of land, shall assess the benefits to accrue to each tract, piece, and parcel of land by reason of such improvement, and sha…

When the assessment of benefits is completed the board of commissioners shall subscribe such assessment and file it with the chancery clerk of the county wherein the land is situated, where it may be preserved and kept as a public record. Upon the filing of said assessment of ben…

After the board of commissioners has completed the assessment as hereinabove provided, it shall have the authority and is hereby directed to levy a tax upon the taxable property of the district, as it may consider necessary to be levied to pay the preliminary expenses of said dis…

If the tax first levied shall prove insufficient to complete the improvement or to pay the bonds, both principal and interest, issued by the board of commissioners for such improvement, as the same shall become due and payable, the board of commissioners shall, from time to time,…

In order to carry out the purposes for which the district is organized and created, the board of commissioners may borrow money at a rate of interest not exceeding six percent (6%) per annum and issue negotiable notes or bonds therefor, signed by the chairman or vice-chairman and…