MDOT presents The Extra Mile Podcast Legislative Session.

(Paul) Welcome in to another episode of The Extra Mile podcast legislative session. I’m Paul Katool and as always I’m joined by my co-host Will Craft. We are about two-thirds through the legislative session trogging along here and we’ve got another amazing guest for you today.

We’ve got Senator Mississippi State Senator Hob Bryan. He represents District 7 and that includes Itawamba, Lee and Monroe counties. He took office in 1984. So he is the dean of the Senate, 39th session. That’s amazing. Senator Bryan, thank you for joining us today.

(Senator Bryan) If you’d down here thirty-nine years you’d be this way too.

(Will) Tell us a little bit about yourself, Senator. How you got involved with politics. What is life in Amory like right now?

(Senator Bryan) Well life in Amory has sort of changed because Highway 25 has been relocated and that’s changed the traffic patterns in Amory and I’m confident that The Department of Transportation will be working to alleviate that problem. I’m led to believe this.

(Will) That’s absolutely right. And so going back a little bit how did you get into politics?

(Senator Bryan) I’m a child of the sixties. It was the sixties and we were all going to change the world and that’s basically it.

(Will) Did you have folks or your grandparents anybody kind of steer you into it?

(Senator Bryan) No. I was just always intrigued.

(Will) And 39 years later…

(Senator Bryan) Still for some reason I’m here. I don’t know how it keeps happening. But yeah.

(Will) So how many re-elections is that?

(Senator Bryan) It’s actually 10 because well I think 10 re-elections because one year we had a one-year term once upon a time.

(Will) Really?

(Senator Bryan) Yes.

(Will) I actually did not know that. Was it your goal to be involved with the Public Health and Welfare? I know that you’re chair of now. Is that kind of what you had in mind when you were getting involved?

(Senator Bryan) No. I’m like everybody else. You know we win these elections and then we vote on issues and we chair committees. And it doesn’t necessarily mean we know what we’re doing. All we did was won elections. And so it’s been an opportunity since I’ve been down here to learn a lot at least learn a little about a lot of different things. And public health and welfare of course that might as well be the whole world. And then there’s all these transportation issues and there’s tax issues and there’s education issues. And one pedals as hard as one can.

(Paul) You talked about transportation or mentioned transportation. We do want to get into that a little bit. And we mentioned that you’re the longest serving Mississippi state senator. So you were actually around for the ‘87 Four-Lane Program. Can you tell us kind of what the process was to get that going and just yet bring us take us back to 1987?

(Senator Bryan) We raised taxes in order to provide better highways for the people. It’s been a wonderful thing. When Grover Norquist was here with his campaign of shrinking government to the size you could drown it in a tax in a bathtub I asked him six different ways if he would have voted for the highway program and he never would answer this question.

But I think that what that highway program did and it’s true across other areas is what you’re doing is you’re spending money on capital improvements that are going to be here for years to come. That’s a good investment in the future.

I can tell you I was born into a world with running water and functioning sewer systems and roads and electricity and telephones. And I was just an infant. All of that was done by previous generations who provided all of these things that are still there. And by the same token in my opinion we need to be investing now in water, sewer, broadband and transportation. And things that will be here long after we’re gone.

You mentioned the highway program. Nobody thought that when we were passing the highway that one day these red clay hills out around Sherman, Mississippi would be leveled in an automobile assembly plant owned by an outfit from Japan would come there and start manufacturing cars.

But it is the case that if the road had not been built Toyota would not have located there because Toyota not only demanded a four-lane controlled access they wanted to be on an interstate. And if you talk to people in economic development in the world we live in four-lane highways are essential for major economic programs. And that’s absolutely a function of the state I get frustrated at some of the so-called incentives that we have for our corporations which are moving here.

But we have someone who’s going to come put in a manufacturing plant and we build a highway exit and we provide water and sewer and all those things. Those assets are going to be there even if that particular industry fails. If you put your money into a highway exit that exit then the company goes under or closes that exit doesn’t go away. The water and sewer doesn’t go away.

Those are basic fundamental investments that are there long down the road. And I think that one of the great tragedies since you raised this is our failure to maintain the roads we have let alone building others and I understand a lot of people that are listening are with the highway department. I’m sorry. I still call game and fish game and fish you know. The leadership of the Department of Transportation for years has been trying to explain to the legislature that there’s simply not enough money being appropriated to maintain the highway system that we have let alone the one that we need and want. And unfortunately those messages have fallen on deaf ears. And now we’re to the absurd proposition that we’re trying to maintain our highway department off lottery proceeds which is just in my opinion laughable. Which gets us around to this Brad White person you know. He’s your boss.

(Will) I think I heard that name a couple time.

(Senator Bryan) I believe that Mr. White is the right person at the right place at the right time. I believe Mr. White has the ability to get people to listen to him. And the credibility to get people to have confidence in what he’s saying. He knows what he’s talking about and he is a strong advocate not merely for the highway department as an institution but for the employees.

(Will) Absolutely.

(Senator Bryan) We of course are the department. Everyone in the whole department, the people on the roads, maintaining the roads, the people directing traffic. And whether workmen the engineers with all the fancy degrees. The people that answer the phone when you call. Everybody. It’s all a group of people and you need good employees. And I know it has been difficult for employees of the department who for years have been overworked and underpaid.

And I want you to know there are a lot of us in the legislature who know that and we appreciate you. And I do believe that help is on the way. I do not think help will get there by three o’clock tomorrow afternoon. But I think the message is beginning to get through to the legislature. And I think things are going to get better.

I appreciate what you all do personally. I appreciate what state employees do. And I believe compensation is going to improve not only as quickly as it should as I would like but I think things are getting better. And I do believe a good deal of credit goes to Mr. White who has worked hard to develop and maintain the credibility and to preach the gospel. And I think the congregation is listening.

(Will) I’m glad to hear that. I appreciate you saying all those things.

(Paul) Absolutely.

(Senator Bryan) Well you know some people would say something like that to be nice. I would not. You know I did not get that gene. I just stopped saying that because I think that’s important and it’s accurate.

(Will) Well and you mentioned this a minute ago referring to us as the highway department. You know that was about ‘92 I think. I was looking a couple years after ‘87. Do you remember that one?

(Senator Bryan) I remember ‘92. 18 or 1992?
Yes. We were in the middle of the ‘87 Program. But what you mentioned and the only thing we did wrong with the ‘87 program in my opinion was it was not ambitious enough. We did not build enough fully controlled access highways.

And as you know one of my great concerns is why on earth we don’t have a six-lane fully controlled access highway going from Gulfport to Canton built for the purpose of counterflow. It’s been an incredible need of the state for 25 years. And every time I talk about it I’m told you can’t do that. That the cost is just well okay you start planning. If we’d been planning this over the past 25 years we had a pile of money come in after Katrina. Had a pile of money come in after BP. We had stimulus money come in. There have been opportunities that if we had planned ahead and if we started trying to build that road we could have gotten that done. And you know the coast is as far away from senate district seven as you can get but the whole states important. We’re all in this together.

(Will) Sure.

(Senator Bryan) And I certainly don’t know as much about hurricanes as people in the southern part of the state do but I do know that evacuation is a very difficult thing to do. And the longer you can wait before giving an evacuating order the more likely you are not to have false alarms.

And if we had a six-lane fully controlled access road designed for contraflow it would enable the Gulf Coast area to evacuate more quickly which would mean you could be more certain that it was necessary to you know more about the hurricane’s path and intensity and all those other things. I just think that’s a great feeling. Speaking of the great failing. The failing to four-lane Highway 25 for Monroe County.

(Will) We got two action items already right here.

(Senator Bryan) Back to the highway department now. If you look at the map and they put out maps. Look at the maps. It stops at the state line. But the world actually does not stop at the Mississippi it goes on. And so if you look at surrounding states you can see there’s a four-lane road coming from Huntsville all the way into Mississippi into Itawamba County and there’s a stretch finally getting completed down to Interestate 22 just east of Fulton. But that’s where their growth dead ends.

If we would continue that four-lane down through Smithville and Amory tie in to the four-lane in Columbus we would have a road a four- lane road connecting to our system which then connected to the road through Alabama to Interstate 65 which of course goes to Huntsville and Natchez and points north and south. And so it’s really a part of a grid. It also would provide a parallel route for Highway 45 which is on the west side of the Tombigbee River. This would be on the east side of the Tombigbee River. And so it provides two opportunities for traffic. And there are a lot of industries that would like that to be done to the city.

Also since you insist on talking about this one road it parallels the Mississippi and Railroad which runs from Amory to Fulton. The Mississippian is basically a 25 mile industrial spur. It was built once upon a time for lumber primarily and later there were beta nights and been a night and other materials. But that rail ties into the Burlington Northern and Amory. And the Burlington Northern has very high quality rail running from Birmingham to Amory and on eventually to Long Beach, California. It is a main transportation line. So if the Burlington Northern on one of its main routes can get your box car to Amory the folks at the Mississippian will go pick up the boxcar and bring it to you whenever you need it and that really is an asset. So you have the combination of rail and you have the four-lane road that would be the kind of infrastructure I’m talking about.

(Will) You mentioned Amory in the railroad. I’ve heard it referred to as the Railroad Subdivision before. Interesting I guess how it all came to be with the railroad and the town coming together there.

(Senator Bryan) Well, yes. Now we can get on something important railroads instead of all these highways. In the late 1800’s Birmingham sort of sprung up from nowhere and so there was a railroad being built from Memphis and Birmingham. And they needed a halfway point so the middle of nowhere the railroad bought some land, set up a roundhouse a station to change place to change road crews laid out of town and had the good sense to name it Amory for the Boston banker who was loaning them the money with which to build a railroad which I’ve always thought was a good move.

(Will) Probably. Probably good idea.

(Senator Bryan) It was the Kansas City Memphis in Birmingham. And when I was growing up there were two passenger trains a day to Amory or two passenger trains a day to Birmingham, one a day to Kansas City and one a day to Pensacola. You could get on a passenger train in Amory, Mississippi and go directly to Pensacola. I don’t know what you know. It’s just what more again would one want.

But an interesting thing was so many people in Amory worked on the railroad that a number of them had passes. And as I said there were a couple passenger trains to and from Memphis every day. And of course everyone in north Mississippi understands the importance of Memphis. Why do you think Elvis moved to Memphis when he hit the big time? I mean where else do you go so you could get your rail pass, get on the train in the morning go up to Memphis, go shopping, have a meal, go to a movie whatever get on the train come back home and have dinner in Amory. And a lot of people do that.

(Will) Pretty neat.

(Paul) Well we want to talk we want to touch on some more fun questions. I guess you could say but can you talk a little bit about Vision 21 and kind of data-driven decision-making when it comes to our infrastructure system?

(Senator Bryan) Well, I think that’s important. I think that having a plan and looking at what roads you want to build and why. I do think there are more things to consider other than traffic counts. Once upon a time a fellow named Henry Harris owned the West Point Daily Times Leader. And he was campaigning for roads and said if the only thing we looked at in building roads this traffic count would have a 16-lane Natchez Trace going down on Jackson because it’s the only way to get down here from that part of the state then. So what would you have where traffic wants to go and where a road can be used as a part of economic development and those factors are part of Vision 21. But I think it’s helpful to have the data that we have and among the data that we gets very good is the condition of bridges which is a very long story. But again infrastructure we’re finding out we have problems with some of our bridges.

(Will) Sure. Did you have a little bit of changing years here? Did you ever have a favorite governor that you served with or favorite lieutenant governor? No pressure.

(Senator Bryan) Well, I’m tempted to say Tate Reeves simply because he’s the incumbent. If I were to say that I think he’s the one in a position to do the most for me so it’s tempting to say that. But of course I would be partial to Governor Musgrove.

(Will) Any stories good working relationship stories that you want to share with us from that time?

(Senator Bryan) Oh there was general atmosphere in the legislature of people trying to work together. And we had a period of time in the 1980’s and 1990’s we passed highway programs. We built four-lane roads. We improved funding for public education. We did a lot of things which I think were long-term good moves for the state. It came about because ultimately we all worked together. You mentioned the highway program. I think Governor Allain vetoed that. We overrode that veto.

(Will) That’s right.

(Senator Bryan) We had a funding program for education. Governor Fordice overrode that vetoed that. We overrode those vetoes. We had a sales tax dedicated to public education. Governor Fordice vetoed that. We overrode those vetoes. And so the legislature at that period of time was very broadly supportive of education and highways and what I consider the basic functions of state government.

(Paul) Do you want to touch on any projects in your district in District 7? Corridor V I know is in Itawamba County. It is a major project. What are projects like those doing for economic and economic growth and development in the area?

(Senator Bryan) Well it’s a long story but the road I mentioned which I believe is Highway 24 in Alabama came to Mississippi and suddenly turned into a two-lane road and there was this gap of about seven miles or something like that which is now being completed and of course that just makes sense. It ties that into Interstate 22 and you know I’ve traveled that road many a time. And it’s actually sort of a pleasant drive for me but I’m in a car. I’m not in a tractor-trailer rig so it’s much better to have a four-lane road if you’re moving a lot of stuff.

(Will) I think that schedule is sometime next year maybe early next year to be finished up, Paul?

(Paul) I believe so. Let’s see. We have it here. I think its 2023 for sure maybe the summer?

(Will) It is 2020.

(Paul) Summer 2023 there we go.

(Will) And think about what year it is from time to time.

(Paul) Absolutely.

(Will) We’ll get up even further out of the box here. I know you spend a lot of time on the roads and a lot of time traveling back and forth. Is there a favorite maybe back in the district or maybe even here in Jackson or somewhere else in the state a favorite stop in food spot that anytime you’re in the area you just got to go by?

(Senator Bryan) Well, I guess I would cheat and talk about a road not talk about food but there’s a very pleasant road which not that many people know about but Highway 23 runs from Smithfield to Tremont. It runs very close to the Alabama line. It’s in a part of the state that’s about as hilly as Mississippi gets. There’s very little traffic and very little development. There’s houses and all but there’s a lot of timberland. It’s not really heavily populated. It’s an extremely pleasant drive through that little part of Monroe County and primarily Itawamba. So if you’re up that way you can take that. It’s there are a lot of off the path roads like that that are very pleasant.

(Will) Absolutely.

(Senator Bryan) And so sometimes when I’m going somewhere I take that route just because it’s a pleasant route to take. And it takes you to Tremont where you can eat at the Tammy Wynette Museum.

(Will) There you go. Excellent. I’m actually going to say I’m very familiar with you know with pieces of stretch of road like what you just referenced Highway 13 and Mendenhall. Well, it’s technically its Pinola back home. There’s a little stretch going towards Georgetown where it seems like a little two-lane paved road but it runs kind of through the woods and it’s just its very pretty and peaceful. It’s one of my favorites. I’ve got the painting on my wall at home.

(Senator Bryan) It’s nice to take alternate routes when you can and find interesting places.

(Will) Absolutely.

(Paul) No doubt. Traveling around Mississippi it’s a beautiful thing. Small town Mississippi really really nothing better than that. Before we let you get out here we do want to ask you what’s the best way for constituents or anybody to really contact you.

(Senator Bryan) Well, you can call me at 662.315.8862. That’s the best way to find it.

(Paul) There we go.

(Will) And we know that you’re quite busy with the session going on so you know guys out there if you’re trying to get in touch with them give them a little give them some time

(Senator Bryan) But look. I’m happy to hear from people. That’s my job description you know. That’s what I do for a living and I don’t know what’s going on out on the ground unless constituents call and tell me. It’s always helpful to hear someone describing his or her experience, his or her good experiences and bad experiences. It helps me to know what’s going on. I’m happy to talk to people.

(Paul) I certainly think Mississippians would be happy to hear that. We have had a very fun insightful conversation with Senator Hob Bryan today. Senator Bryan, we really appreciate you visiting with us today and we’ll just go ahead and wrap things up.

Thank you out there to all of listeners. If you want to hear more episodes of The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session be sure to subscribe or download wherever podcasts can be found. And you can also now watch each episode of The Extra Mile. Just search Mississippi Department of Transportation on YouTube. And remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The handle there is @MississippiDOT. And as always remember to drive smart out there on Mississippi highways.