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Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons joined The Extra Mile podcast to talk about his career in public service, the importance of a rural transportation network, Central District projects and much more.
Tune in to The Extra Mile presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Co-hosts Paul Katool and Will Craft take listeners inside the world of transportation infrastructure in Mississippi.
(Drew) MDOT presents The Extra Mile podcast.
(Paul) Welcome in to another edition of The Extra Mile podcast presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I’m MDOT Digital Media Manager Paul Katool. And as always, I’m joined by Will Craft. He’s the man when it comes to Government and Constituent affairs here at MDOT.
Today , I’m very excited about today’s guest. We’ve got Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons. A little bit of information about Commissioner Simmons. He served as state senator for more than 26 years. During that time for eight years, he was chairman of the senate highways and transportation committee and lots of experience in public service as an elected official. And we’re very excited to have you on the show today. Thank you so much for joining us.
(Commissioner Simmons) Thank you, Paul. And I’ve been looking forward to coming to podcast so thank you.
(Will) Nice.
(Paul) Awesome. Awesome. We’ve been looking forward to having you.
(Will) That’s right.
(Paul) So, just to start us off uh you know take us through your background and kind of why you wanted to get into public service and why you wanted you know to be a senator and be Central District Transportation Commissioner.
(Commissioner Simmons) Oh, Paul. That’s a question that will take forever to answer. I’ve been in public services so long starting off as a school board member back in Cleveland. Something I enjoyed doing. And then went into working at the Delta State University and also at the Department of Correction. And then following that uh getting into the political arena when I ran for the state senate in 1992 and was very fortunate to be elected and serve until 2020 so about 26 years. And thoroughly enjoyed doing it working with some great individuals and getting to know a lot of folks who I continue to network with. And that was a great experience for me. So, my experience in the political arena has been one of tremendous amount of success as far as I am concerned. Both on the school board and as a state senator and now as commissioner of transportation.
(Paul) Yeah. Lucky to have you.
(Will) When you were when you got into the senate is the transportation committee something or the transportation world of policy and legislation is that something you were interested in or just kind of got into by nature of being over there?
(Commissioner Simmons) Well, I always had an interest in transportation uh serving on the appropriation committee. And then when I had an opportunity to serve as the chairperson of the subcommittee of appropriation on transportation and getting to know the challenges that the Department of Transportation had in this funding. It was antiquated funding that had not been increased since 1987 when the ‘87 highway program was put into place.
So, as a senator working with the appropriation and working directly with the Department of Transportation and the leadership I became very concerned and very supportive of trying to get additional dollars into the system to help build and maintain because I realized that my colleagues before me uh when they put together the eighty-seven highway program was a great program, but they did not put in the maintenance money center to maintain the system.
(Will) Well, we certainly appreciate all your time and effort that’s been on that committee. We’re glad to have you over here now. I think you worked with our other commissioner Commissioner King there in the senate for a while too.
(Commissioner Simmons) I had an opportunity to work with two. That’s one of the commissioners Commissioner Hall who we would like to just say to the family uh we continue to love you and you have our condolences.
(Will) That’s right.
(Commissioner Simmons) But also Commissioner King uh worked with both of them in the senate. And coming here was kind of like a reunion to be a part of the commission.
(Will) Y’all couldn’t get away from each other.
(Commissioner Simmons) We can’t. We can’t. And we are we’re veterans of uh you know so that’s very good. And I always admired Commissioner King uh and his work and commitment as a veteran. And then I have Commissioner Caldwell uh coming in at the same time I came in as a veteran. So, we military or ex-military person have a desire to work to make sure that we win the battles and take care of MDOT.
(Paul) There you go. There you go. And we appreciate all of your service uh, so I know that a particular interest of yours is kind of the rural transportation network. A lot of your uh constituents your area is rural like in the Delta and then some other areas as well. You had a summit the other day, right? So, why why are you kind of focused on the rural nature of Mississippi and its transportation network?
(Commissioner Simmons) Because of the service provided. Uh as you know, the commissioner, we voluntarily uh fund the multimodal program and from that the public transport system gets about 1.6 percent of that of the a million dollars which is not adequate, but it is a great program because it provides such services to a community that’s needed.
The rural part of the state and you well know many much of the areas that I serve is in the rural area. We have a lot of lot of citizens who especially during these times uh have problems trying to get where they need to go because they don’t have transportation or can’t afford it. This public transit system that we do through the multimodia program with Charles Carr and Miss Wilson and all of the uh areas that provide services out there is a much-needed service.
I can reflect back on when we hit Covid and we needed to get individuals to the medical programs to be given shots, vaccinations whatever service they needed. And we were able to reach out to that program and put in place a toll-free number that the Department of Transportation assisted in moving hundreds of individuals to the medical community to get vaccinated. They also take care of our senior citizens when they need to come into Jackson as well as our veterans.
So, it's a great program and I’m very supportive of it. And I’m anxious to see if we are able to get additional dollars coming to it from the state legislation this year. And when I mentioned state legislation let me say that we have to express our appreciation to the legislation for the 2022 session. Uh, our leader Brad White who the CEO along with the other staff uh worked well with the legislative body and we were able to get monies that we have not gotten before so that includes being able to give the ten million dollars to the multimodia program of the public transit system.
(Paul) That’s excellent.
(Will) Yeah. And you talk about public transit and all the things that it goes to. That was one thing when I was a young fellow coming to MDOT just didn’t really realize the far-reaching impacts. I mean you alluded to you know getting senior citizens, getting our veterans to places, getting people to medical appointments, getting folks to work to and from. I mean, it’s a huge impact at public transit. And like you said another ten million yeah you can imagine doubling or tripling that and seeing how far those impacts would go. It is a fantastic thing.
(Commissioner Simmons) Well, you know, a lot of folks don’t fully understand
(Will) Right.
(Commissioner Simmons) how broad MDOT is in their services. They think about highways and bridges. And we do a great job of taking care of highways and bridges with the amount of resources that we have. We don’t appropriate the monies that’s done by the legislation. Our money comes from the federal government as you well know in the state through the fuel tax and other taxes that we collect. But it’s a great system when you combine everything that we do. We touch the airports, the ports, the rails, public transit then work to maintain the highway system that’s been put in place.
So, in doing that, let me just say how grateful I am as a commissioner to be part of the family of MDOT. We have again Brad White as our CEO uh and administrative staff but some 2,700-plus employees who workday and night, who go out into the cold weather. During Covid when we had our staff out working in ice and snow uh, and rain to help maintain the highways and keep people safe.
And you heard very few individuals complaining about the work hours and the work that they were doing. They did complain about the pay at the time, but I must say how grateful again I am to our leadership and our legislative body for working with us. That we have been able to help in that arena and get more pay coming to a much deserving group of individuals. And thanks to the leadership and thanks to the legislature for helping us do that.
(Will) Absolutely.
(Paul) No doubt. Yeah. So, let’s actually talk about those interstates and highways and bridges a little bit. Uh, lots going on in the central district. Do you want to highlight any of the major projects? I know we’ve had some wrap up you know highway forty-nine, some I-twenty stuff but anything on the horizon right now?
(Commissioner Simmons) You’ve taken my thunder. Highway 49. I have to talk about Highway 49 because I drove it last week driving up the Gulf Coast uh when I went to the public transit conference. That is a great system. Uh, the way in which we, the engineers and our staff put together a plan for that of design for that and the turn-about and the U-turns or whatever you want to call them uh may not be used in used in the state of Mississippi any place. But that is a great highway and the number of vehicles that’s traveling highway uh throughout and the fact that we were able to do that without interrupting the business community in the way of having businesses to move and or relocate a phenomenal job that we love.
The Interstate 20 bridge is another one. Uh, and then up in the Mississippi Delta, uh, we have the Highway 82 Bypass going on. That was a project that’s been on the books for some twenty years and we are now actually building it.
(Will) Got the big federal grant for that one, right?
(Commissioner Simmons) Yes. Um hum. Over in the eastern part of the state in Neshoba County. In Lauderdale Highway 19. Uh, we have that moving now. And we are looking at enhancing other projects uh like in Lauderdale County and in Neshoba County. Uh, Highway 27 which is one of the most dangerous highways in the system based upon our own engineers telling us that. And we are now doing preliminary and pre-construction kind of work to move that project.
So, once again, thanks to the legislative body for giving us $35 million dollars that they put in place in what they capacitor projects. And we are utilizing those uh dollars to help open Rankin County Highway 25 uh Lakeland Drive which is one of the busiest highways. One that you don’t want to drive around 4:30 to six o’clock in the evening, afternoon. So, that we are working on and some dollars that came from the legislative body and monies that we’re putting into it to make it work.
(Paul) So, lots of orange barrels going up around around the central district for sure.
(Commissioner Simmons) The central district is, I’m excited about what’s going on the central district. And we’re looking forward to other things like over in Vicksburg, Warren County helping with the interchange system uh on interstate twenty. That’s a very dangerous system and we are moving to help take care of it.
(Will) Another big topic again talking about kudos to the legislature and throwing all the appreciation their way. The lottery money. Um, I know even kind of before that really came to fruition, I had heard you on numerous occasions mention getting some more attention on these two-digit or three-digit highways you know that maybe had been a little bit neglected for lack of resources other years. You seeing a lot of lottery project impacts in your district?
(Commissioner Simmons) We have hit the jackpot. The lottery MODT hit the jackpot. Uh, I wish it had been a little bigger. Uh, as you well know in the 2018 session uh and I was a senator.
(Will) That’s right.
(Commissioner Simmons) Who actually handled a lot of bills and to get it passed out of the senate. Uh, and again when you look back at Governor Tate Reeves who was lieutenant governor at the time and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn both of those gentlemen were against the lottery. Both of them became statesmen and decided to remove themselves out of the way so that the lottery could be passed if the legislative body wanted to do that. We did it. And we didn’t think we were going to generate much money from it uh because we just didn’t feel like we would get it.
So, when we came in, we said $80 million dollars a year. The first $80 million dollars would come to the department of transportation. We thought we were taking all the money in. Here today, I’m sitting here and we’re getting eighty million and probably eighty million pretty close to it is going to be going to the Department of Education because this fiscal year we are here in the fifth month and the bulk of our money has already been generated by the lottery. Uh, who would have thought it? So, with that we the commissioners decided we were going to put all of that money, $80 million dollars on our two-lane highways that has not been taken care of uh, with paving in the past 20 years. So, you’ve seen a lot of asphalt flying and smelling all over the place where you used to drive through the country and smell good barbeque and fried chicken, you’re now smelling asphalt.
(Will) Which is okay for a season, right?
(Commissioner Simmons) We here at the commissioners at the Department of Transportation and the staff uh, we consider ourselves fortunate to have those dollars. And we hope that we can get additional dollars coming into our system and recurring monies to take care of the capacity project but also the maintenance.
(Paul) So, one of the major themes that we try to get across on this show is you know we build these bridges, interstates, highways and have quality infrastructure it impacts economic growth and development. Can you kind of talk about that and make that point?
(Commissioner Simmons) It does uh, you know it’s been said over and over again, it you build it they will come and that is true. If you have a good infrastructure system the business community and the industrial community will come. You watch one of the current has occurred here in the Jackson metro area with Interstate 55 and Interstate 20 and Highway 49. And we have a Nissan and the Continental and many other projects.
When you look up in the northeastern part of the state uh around the Pontotoc County, Lee County area you have Toyota. Uh, you will go in East Mississippi where we just landed a project that the legislature passed a big alumni aluminum company uh along with the Steel core and other companies that are over there infrastructure drives that.
Uh, when we are able to get the interstate system completely built in the manner which we have done it in the past and then add to the state system and the county local because the transportation system is not one segment of state government. It’s complete. You don’t see an 18-wheeler driving along Interstate 20 or Interstate 55 and unload its cargo. It gets off the interstate system. It goes on to a state highway and then from a state to a county, from a county to a municipality. So, our entire infrastructure system is very important. And we have that totally complete infrastructure system in place industry and business are going to come.
Uh, that’s been everywhere we’ve built the good highways. And that’s why I fight so hard to make sure that we get our infrastructure system completed in the central district. Over in East Mississippi around Lauderdale County, uh, we are working very hard to put dollars into the infrastructure because Meridian, Mississippi, Lauderdale County is ideal when you look at the fact it has an airport, it has a rail system and it has a connector with north and eastbound traffic for hauling cargo on our rail system.
And with the interstate system being there Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 it is ideal for economic development growth. And we, the Department of Transportation working with the governor’s office and MDA, we are committed to helping them to bill out these mega industrial parks that they’re speaking of and all the other kind of things that need to be done to make sure that economic development takes place. Because when infrastructure economic development takes place and you got a good education system, the medical community will come and build. And all of a sudden you have a good healthy community. Infrastructure is always key to building that.
(Paul) I see it.
(Will) Well said, yeah. Well, we talked about a laundry list of achievements that you’ve had throughout your career and will continue to achieve I know. But one of which I know is of great importance to you and certainly most proud of one of the most proud of, the first African-American statewide elected official, correct?
(Commissioner Simmons) That is true.
(Will) Then that’s huge. What does that mean to you?
(Commissioner Simmons) It means a lot to be a member of the African-American community and being in this kind of a position to serve, to bring some diversity to the table, uh, sitting in the executive branch with the governor, lieutenant governor as well as the other six statewide elected officials and the commissioners, public utilities and transportation. That’s awesome to be sitting here. And growing up, I never thought that I would be sitting in this position.
So, I’m very fortunate, uh, and very grateful to the wisdom and the what I refer to as the value integrity and principles that my parents gave me that I’m able to sit, uh, in these kind of settings as a commissioner and to help not appropriate but allocate the dollars for our infrastructure system. Again. Infrastructure, I think is key to building a community and when I, uh, one of the commissioners can sit at the table and allocate one point four billion dollars that the legislation and the federal government has sent to us, uh, that’s pretty significant.
And you know, being a graduate of Alcorn State University and a master’s degree from Delta State and then to come from Utica, Mississippi a family with eleven children living in a shack so to speak. I think that’s uh an honor that they citizens of the district decided that they wanted to choose me and put me in place to hold a position. So, once again, I’m very proud and very honored to be a part of the executive branch of the state of Mississippi and to be successful in working with my colleagues.
And I say that because when you think about how divided the country is right now and all the things that are going on and here we have a situation where we have three commissioners, uh, one black, two whites, one democrat, two republicans, uh, from different parts of the state but we don’t allow none of those kinds of differences to interfere with our ability to work and take care of the infrastructure system in the state of Mississippi. So, I’m honored to be a part of that.
(Will) And I would speak for your folks, your constituents, I know you’ve served everyone well in all these roles and always done a yeoman’s work and earned every bit of the credit and recognition that you get these days. We appreciate you and certainly glad to have you here as our commissioner, uh, specifically mine. I’m in the district so
(Paul) Yes. Same here.
(Will) as the constituent. Yeah. Absolutely.
(Commissioner Simmons) Well, you know, I’m the only commissioner that has three districts. You know, we have we’re divided up into sub districts and each commissioner has two but I have three.
(Will) You kind of pick up
(Commissioner Simmons) I have three, five and you can say yeah, what I have yeah, I have three and five. And you can say also that I have four. And four being the administration the central office here. I’m the only senator that has three districts. So, they should pay me a little bit more money.
(Will) We can advocate for that. Absolutely.
(Paul) Alright. Alright. So, we’ve we’ve touched on a lot of subjects and now we’re going to touch on our favorite one. We’re all we’ve discussed before all big food people. So, we’ll take us home with the question.
(Will) Yes, sir. And those of you who did not know, uh, Commissioner Simmons a long time, 18 years I believe long time restaurant tour restaurant owner restaurant owner, there we go, uh, himself so, he uh, he’s got the back the inside scoop. But uh, we love to eat. And you especially spending a lot of time around the state as the transportation commissioner, I know you run across places, maybe a hole in the wall here, there. Do you have a favorite somewhere?
(Commissioner Simmons) Well, you know, there are a lot of good places in Mississippi where you can find food. You can go out in the country, rural, uh, metro Jackson, Gulf Coast, northeast Mississippi. Good food everywhere.
Uh, one of the places now that I have to say that I am fascinated with and over, uh, one I guess because I love chicken.
(Will) Me too.
(Commissioner Simmons) Secondly, I’m in transportation now and following Covid when I pull up to a Chik-fil-A
(Will) Oh yeah.
(Commissioner Simmons) drive thru operation. The way in which they have redesigned their whole system where they have two or three lanes where individuals are collecting money. Uh, and after they collect the money, they put you into a lane where they will bring your food. And then they bring you back into the one lane to get you out the system. They had a good engineer architect to help design that. Similar to what we are challenged with in the department of transportation. So, when I put together their access with that and the good chicken that have in it, I would say Chik-fil-A is a place that everybody should stop by just to look at the flow of the traffic and how they move traffic in and out of the place and give you the order that you actually place.
(Will) That’s right. With a smile. I mean yeah. May even give you a love note or “Have a good day.” Yeah. I’m continually fascinated how well they run that operation.
(Commission Simmons) It is.
(Paul) Efficient.
(Will) Yeah. There’s no doubt. Well, we’re, uh, we’re we’re big chicken fans here too. I think I eat three times a week at the farmer’s market down here. And I cannot bypass the fried chicken. They always have the baked option you know or something a little healthier. I can’t help myself. I mean, I’m glutton for punishment and I do love it. Um but there’s a Chik-fil-A out there, folks. Go check it out.
(Paul) Chik-fil-A. If you haven’t heard of it go check it out. Hey. Listen and before we uh end, I do want to send out some kudos to Will Craft. He is actually the 2022 MDOT chili cook-off winner. He won the whole thing.
(Commissioner Simmons) Congratulations, Will.
(Will) Thank you so much.
(Commissioner Simmons) I didn’t get any chili but congratulations anyway.
(Will) It’s on its way. I’m bringing some to your house. There we go. And it was chicken of all things. Chicken chili.
(Paul) Absolutely. Chicken is the key. Well, Commissioner Simmons, we covered a lot of ground today. Know you’re a busy man. Thank you so much for uh making time to come on our show.
(Commissioner Simmons) Paul and Will, you made this easy. Thank you all so much and um hopefully it’s a message that people will enjoy.
(Paul) Absolutely. They will. Uh, so, let’s wrap things up. I want to thank all of our listeners out there for tuning in to The Extra Mile podcast. Remember you can watch and listen to episodes just visit GoMDOT.com/TheExtraMile. Follow us on social media @MississippiDOT is the handle. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Uh, we of course want to thank Katey Hornsby our producer, or editor Drew Hall. They do a lot of work to make this show go behind the scenes. Uh, without further ado, remember to drive smart out there on Mississippi highways.