MDOT presents

The Extra Mile podcast.

Welcome into another edition
of the Extra Mile

podcast presented by the Mississippi
Department of Transportation.

I'm Paul Katool and as always,
joined by my co-host Will Craft.

He's wide awake this morning.

And listen,
Will we have a very timely guest.

Fortunate unfortunate with what happened
last week.

We have Southern District
Public Information Officer Anna Ehrgott.

Anna, thank you so much for,

you know, walking down the hall
and being a guest for us.

Absolutely.

Anytime, Paul, thank you for having me.

I love the podcast.

Big fan. I know for sure
we've talked about this.

So listen, we're going to lobby a softball
real quick.

So kind of
just talk about your background.

You know, what you got into before
you got to Mdot.

What what led you here? Sure.

So I have been in state government
for 16 years now.

Believe it or not, I started out
at the Public Employees Retirement System.

Then I went over to Mississippi
Development Authority, where I worked

in communications and economic development
and in tourism efforts.

And then I went over to the Mississippi
Arts Commission, where I did

communications at that agency
and coordinated the Governor's Arts Awards

every year, in addition
to many other communication projects.

I was kind of a one man band over there.

So after a few years of that,
I came over to MDOT where my husband

had worked for many years prior to that,
and I joined a team of people.

So now I can do things like take off
in the middle of a tropical depression

and someone still is able
to answer media questions.

So it's it's got a lot of perks to it.

And I cover the Southern District,
district six and district seven,

which for those of you

who are not vastly familiar
with the district system of Mdot,

that covers both the southwestern portion
of Mississippi with Natchez and McComb,

and also the southeastern portion
of Mississippi,

which covers Hattiesburg, Pine Belt area
and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

And I answer media questions,
also run the hurricane campaign each year.

And, you know, all the other things
that y'all tell me that I need to do.

So anyway, without further ado,
I love it.

And for those internal listeners
out there for our Mdot

folks,
Anna is one of the spearheads for the Ram.

The roundabout that you guys see
every two weeks, every two weeks.

Seems like it's faster than that
as all the work that goes into it.

But yes,

lots of stuff, lots of really worthy
and important things that you do for us.

We very much appreciate you
and all that you do.

And as Paul mentioned,
for being with being here,

taking some time to do the podcast with us
today, segue for you.

One thing you just mentioned
and alluded to hurricanes.

ET cetera.

We're we're wide open already.

So yes, absolutely.

So hurricane season

begins each year on June 1st
and it ends on November 30th each year.

So that's about six months of the year
that, you know,

we need to watch out for hurricanes.

Normally we don't see
a whole lot of tropical activity in June.

Of course, the past couple of days, we're
quite an exception with Tropical Storm

Arthur and all the flooding impacts
from Tropical Storm Arthur,

a lot of roadway flooding, and,
you know, already saturated ground

from the rain that they had earlier
in the week in South Mississippi.

So still still working on
some of those those impacts.

Oh, I'm sure my yard was flooded.

I had ducks and geese
swimming around everywhere.

I was just blown away
by how much water came in

such a short amount of time, which I guess
that is why they call it flash flooding.

But yeah, absolutely.

What is it?

Turn around.

Don't drown.

Turn around,
don't drown. Famous four words.

So please abide by those and plenty

of other flooding
tips out there for you as well.

We still have a couple of impacts
lingering from that storm.

One is in Clark County,
that is State Route

512 and it is currently flooded roadway.

So please use an alternate route
if you drive that way in Clark County.

And another kind of longer term impact
is going to be

some on highway 26.

In George County, there is a shoulder
slide right there in that area

and it is currently barricaded off
to traffic.

The slide is a little bit

more significant than our forces
are going to be able to fix.

So we're going to let an emergency
contract in order to fix that slide.

So right now just avoid the area
and use some alternate routes

if you drive that way. Yes.

And our director Brad asked that
I'm explicitly say this and we're going

to be using these phrases on social media
and other other places as well.

But please, please do not move
the barricades.

Do not go around the barricades.

We're there only there to save your life.

We're, we're we're not trying to be the
the bully or the bad guy.

Please don't go around the barricades.

We we want nothing more than for everybody
to just make it home tomorrow.

We'll get here
as long as we don't do everything under

the sun we can to make it more dangerous
on daily things.

Turn around.

Don't drown, don't drown.

Please don't go around.

We. We don't close roads for fun.

There is a good reason
behind every road closure.

And even though it may not look like
there's anything

all that significant to the naked eye,
our engineers have all the data.

And there's a good reason
why those roads are closed.

So please do not drop down
around those barricades.

And this I'm
probably preaching to the choir.

This may be beating a dead horse, but,
you know, it's if you do have a

Z 71 with an eight
inch lift and some brand new,

you might can make it through.

But you move those barricades.

And then grandma in her 93 Pontiac
is coming down the road behind you.

She is not going to.

And we actually did have something like
that happen on a bridge project last year.

You guys remember we had somebody move
the barricades at night and a lady

just driving on the way home.

Somebody had moved the barricades
sitting any better, ran off that bridge.

Now, fortunately,
we she didn't hit the water,

you know, ended up
being a relatively minor incident.

But, yes,
I'm gonna jump off of this pedestal.

But please don't move the barricades.

Thank you.

Don't jump. Will, don't jump.

That's that's wild. And. Hey, listen.

Tropical storm Arthur, no bueno.

We don't like you.

Not a good, not a good deal to early.

But like you mentioned June 1st, it's
beginning of hurricane season,

so you never really can tell
how early things are going to kick off.

So why don't you kind of
give us a rundown on hurricane prep?

What do we need to do?
So definitely go ahead and visit GoMDOT.co

/hurricanes in order

to check out some of the different
hurricane materials that we have.

We have a lot of information out there,
especially on hurricane evacuation.

So this is something that we produce
each year.

And this is the hurricane
evacuation guide.

And it contains a map inside
of all of the different official hurricane

evacuation routes.

So we encourage everyone, especially those

who are living in South Mississippi,
to check out the guide.

Make sure that you know

your hurricane evacuation route
well in advance of an approaching storm.

Go ahead and choose
at least one hurricane evacuation route,

and then go ahead and choose a secondary
and even a third, just in case.

We know that congestion increases really
rapidly during a hurricane evacuation.

So you want to have plenty of options out
there.

And, you know, we encourage people to
to always evacuate north.

And also not
everybody can take Holloway 49.

So we really encourage people
to take alternate routes so that

we don't have a ton of congestion
and we can keep traffic flowing

and people can get to safety
as quickly as possible.

Another really, really useful tool
that we have on our website,

and you can get mailed to you as well,
is the hurricane Preparation checklist.

And this will give you
all the information that you need

as far as you know,
what to pack during an evacuation.

And that's,

you know, it's not just your clothes
that you'll need for a few days.

There's definitely other items

that you might want to have with you
in a hurricane evacuation as well.

One, of course, is water, making sure
that your pets are taken care of,

making sure that you know
you have some nonperishable food,

that you have all your prescription drugs,
and anything else that you might need

during that time.

It also shows you information
about how to prepare your home or property

for a storm, and some of those things
you can go ahead and do now,

like trimming some of the

the limbs around your house, making sure
that you've got a place to store

some of your patio furniture
or things like that that can become

lightweight and and become projectiles
even during a hurricane.

So really important information
there to note.

And also we have both of these items
available in Spanish and Vietnamese

as well.

So if you know some of some of
those folks you may not have

access to, you know,

the English version or you may need
a foreign language version, certainly.

Check that out as well.

And of course, that would be remiss

if I didn't mention the Hurricane
Katrina documentary that we did last year

to commemorate
the 20th anniversary of the storm,

and worked on that with our fabulous
producer here, Drew Hall.

And anyway, it's a it's a really good,
really great documentary.

And it shows, you know, just how much, how

far reaching the impacts of Hurricane
Katrina were for Mississippi

and how quickly and efficiently,
you know, MDOT was able to rebuild

in the wake of the storm.

And also, you know,

just some of those lessons learned
from a hurricane of that proportion.

So definitely go check it out.

Yeah, absolutely. Please do.

I would I'm going to throw in
there as well our partners in this effort.

MEMA

You know
you interface with them all the time.

And doing this one of their big messages
is preparedness obviously.

But the first 72 is on you, right?

He is the first 72 or on you.

So make sure to have as many supplies
as you'll need to

to make it for those first 72 hours,
after which time, you know,

MEMA does provide some resources,
but definitely the more

that you can ensure that you're prepared
and that you and your family have

what you need for 72 hours
and even beyond, the better off you'll be.

And this is absolutely not to be construed
as this is not a knock on MEMA at all.

It's more just reality, right?

That first 72 is on you.

They're telling you
they will not get there before 72 hours.

Hopefully they can get there 70 to 73

that they can't assure anyone of that,
you know.

So again, I can't imagine
I got three little girls.

You know I've got the
I've got the prep stuff secured.

We're not even really you know
and the hurricane area here.

But man 72 hours
doesn't seem like a whole lot,

you know, to be on their own there.

But I think things go quickly
when chaos and panic sets in.

He, you know, five extra five, 15 minutes.

Now thinking about that stuff
can go a long way, right?

Absolutely.

And you know, some of the impacts
from the storms are, you know,

you may not have water
for 72 hours or more,

you may not have electricity
for 72 hours or more.

And of course, for most of us,
no electricity means no air conditioning.

So, you know, these are all things
that you know, people need to plan for.

Yeah. No Dallas.

And we get all the all the weather
these days in Mississippi.

So be prepared.

You know,
especially when when you're driving.

So listen, there's some
there's some big projects going on

in the southern district which you cover.

Do you want to break down
some of those for us?

Absolutely.

So one really big project
on the southern portion of the state

is the I-10 widening project.

And that project goes from County

Farm Road over to Diamond Head
and both Harrison and Hancock counties.

And in that in that area,
they're widening from 4 to 6 lanes.

And there's some other interesting
components to that project,

one of which is a noise barrier wall
that has been constructed

right around the Diamond Head exit.

And just beyond that noise barrier wall

is a multi-use path
right around that neighborhood.

So that helps, you know, increase
pedestrian safety in the area.

And of course, you know,

that widening project is a really,
really big deal for that area

because as, as y'all know, I-10
gets pretty congested pretty quickly.

And, you know, when our forces go out
and do maintenance on that

stretch of interstate
and closing a lane on I-10,

is it really increases
congestion very, very quickly.

And that was a bit been in that situation
before and it is not fun.

So just having that
additional lane on I-10 in that area

is really a game changer
for that area for sure.

Of that.

Good, good stuff for sure.

And then there's a mardi Gras route.

We love Mardi Gras.

We do love Mardi Gras. Are you mean?

So that is the new Amtrak line
that goes from New Orleans to Mobile.

And I actually got to take a little trip
on that train

as the part of the inaugural run
with Commissioner Busby.

And it's a really cool, really interesting
way to get around, especially there's

several stops in Mississippi
Bay Saint Louis,

Biloxi, let's see, Pascagoula.

And I know that I'm forgetting
one of them, but a really great way

to get from the Mississippi Gulf

Coast to New Orleans or Mobile,
wherever you'd like to go.

And certainly, you know, it's
something worth checking out.

I can't remember how long it takes
to get from Mobile to New Orleans.

Does anybody remember that?

I do not remember.

We'll get that for it's quick,
but it is pretty quick.

And, you know, certainly

I mean, if you've ever paid
for parking in New Orleans or mobile,

certainly I think that you've

taken care of your parking fees
just by taking the train instead.

And it's certainly a pretty ride.

Oh, no doubt Mississippians
love to go to New Orleans.

I try to make it, you know,
at least 3 or 4 times a year.

So just jump on that train and
and head on over, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Get on the train. Love it, love it.

Any other big important projects
updates, news from the Southern District?

Sure.
So there's also there's a lot of them.

So difficult.

Of course, there's a lot going on
in the South, especially the Gulf Coast.

Right now.

One of the really big projects
is the State Route 57 project.

That is a $212 million project
that's being constructed right now,

and it's going to four lane and provide
some new alignment all the way from I-10

stretching north towards
the lake o pines area.

Okay.

And so what that project does
is that it really relieves

some congestion in the Van Cleve area.

There's several schools
right along that route.

And, you know, in peak times
there's a lot of congestion right there.

It's also a hurricane evacuation route.

And so by
providing another alignment for it

that goes around some of those schools
and also for landing the entire project,

you know, you get not only reduce
congestion, but also a really efficient

way to evacuate from a hurricane
there as well.

So it's a big project.

I believe 13 bridges were constructed
as part of it.

So it's a huge undertaking.

It was a huge, huge project,
no doubt. Yes.

And it is nearly,
nearly complete love that.

So about another year of construction
on it and it should be open to traffic.

Hopefully all portions of it
in the spring.

Awesome.

Glad to hear it
rocking and rolling down there

on the Mississippi
Gulf Coast and D6 and D7.

Well, listen, that's a real
a lot of good information.

You got it all memorized and everything.

So you're killing it for sure.

We do have some fun questions
before we get out of here, though.

Yeah.

Fun times on a one day.

Will you want to kick us off, sir? Sure.
I'll be glad to.

I'll take the food question for you
today.

Okay.

Now, this doesn't have to be coastal area
specific.

Okay, I know that you spend.

Well, let me rephrase that.

Southern district specific.

I know you spend a lot of time

down in that area,
but we like to eat, as you know. Yes.

We're always looking for a spot.

What have you been to either
lately is like, a new favorite

or something that, you know, it's just
it's not on the beaten path, so to speak.

It's a little bit out of the way,
but every time

I'm in that neck of the woods,
we're going here.

You got anything? I've got so many Will.

Actually, it just depends on where I am.

I will I will state, you know,
some of my favorites on the coast

because I do love to go to the coast, and
I do love to eat when I'm on the coast.

And there's a lot of good food
to be eaten on the Gulf Coast.

Great seafood certainly.

My favorite has got to be a white pillars.

It is, you know, a bit a bit pricey,
but it is so good.

And, you know,
they changed the menu seasonally.

So I feel like I get,
you know, just the creme

de la creme of the Gulf Coast
when I go to White pillars.

Some other favorites for
I like to go to Bacchus on the Bayou

over there in Ocean Springs,
and there's a great little brunch

place over there to in
Biloxi called Brew Paddle Cafe.

And that's that's
kind of in the heavy rotation as well.

And of course, you know, there's
some great spots in Hattiesburg too.

Certainly Crescent City Grill
that's, you know, standard there.

And to Bella's and even Ed's burger joint,
you know,

lots of good stuff
in the Southern District and McComb

and Brookhaven and Columbia
and all those places as well.

I've got some really good restaurants.
Very good.

Columbia wouldn't have guessed it.

I'll have to go check that out for sure.

Hey, those are some good options
right there.

We know, you know food,
you know your stuff.

And also, I know you know, music.

I've been to a bunch of shows with you.

We've had a lot of good times.

Me, you and Michael Flood
who was on the show earlier?

So is there a concert that sticks out?

I know it might be tough, but concert?

Favorite concert over the year
that sticks out to you?

Oh gosh. Let's see.

That is kind of like
choosing among children.

I will say I love a Grateful Dead
cover band show, I really do.

That's got to be some of my favorites.

I've definitely gone to plenty of North
Mississippi

Allstars over at Dueling Hall and various
other places.

I've been out to Colorado
to see String Cheese Incident

and just went to a string cheese
show over in Birmingham, Alabama.

That was a ton of fun.

So I went to Avondale Brewing Company
there.

That was the venue,
and I'd never been there before.

Really, really cool venue.

So kind of smallish, but very interesting.

Very cool. Nice. Love it, love it.

What's your
what's your favorite Grateful Dead song?

I know that's probably hard.
Just throw it out. Gosh.

Oh, I didn't know that you were
going to ask these these hard questions.

These are hard hitters, Paul. Sorry. Oh.

Let's see.

Shakedown
Street is definitely one of the favorites.

China cat, sunflower.

I know you, writer.

And of course, a good scarlet Fire.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with
the Grateful Dead lingo, Scarlet Fire

refers to the song Scarlet Begonias,
which then goes into fire on the mountain.

It's very famous transition
song, and I love it.

It's some gorgeous,

gorgeous songs there and you're killing it
with the music recs as well.

So thank you so much

for everything you do here at Mdot,
and thanks for coming on the show.

Absolutely. Thank you all for having me.

And remember, go to

GoMDOT.com/Hurricanes

to get all your hurricane
evacuation information.

That's exactly right.

I was just going to slip in there.

So these guys are the ones who took me
to my first Grateful Dead cover show.

So did that.

And then you mentioned North Mississippi

Allstars, a funny story there, but they
they took me to the first one there.

So first of all, I been to
either of those two were with you guys.

So I guess string cheese is something
I've gone to look out for now.

So there you go.

It's we're gonna kidnap you
and take you away from your ladies

for a little bit
and take you to a string cheese show.

String cheese and hurricanes.
Here we are. There we go.

What a combo.

Well thanks again, Anna.

We'll go ahead and wrap things up there.

Thank you to our listeners, our viewers,
for tuning in to the Extra Mile podcast.

You can watch
and listen to episodes by visiting

GoMDOT.com/

The Extra Mile.

Follow us on social media
@MississippiDOT is the handle.

We want to thank our editor producer,
Drew Hall, for holding things down

behind the scenes.

And remember to drive
smart out there on Mississippi highways.