Mississippi DOT wins pavement award

The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced recently that the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has won a 2005 Perpetual Pavement Award for a section of I-59 in Lauderdale County. The award will be presented at a special ceremony during the International Conference on Perpetual Pavement in Columbus, Ohio, on September 14.

To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must meet strict criteria and demonstrate hot-mix asphalt's long-life characteristics, excellence in design, quality in construction, and value to the traveling public. It also must have been constructed at least 35 years ago. Engineers at NCAT evaluated the nominations and a panel of industry experts validated the winners.

Mississippi's award-winning pavement is an 8.4-mi. stretch of I-59, extending north from the Clarke County line to a point 1.4 mi. south of I-20. When it was opened to traffic in 1966, the 23.5-in.-thick pavement structure included 12.5 in. of HMA placed on a 6-inch lime-treated subgrade and a 5-in. sand clay base course. It was 24 years before the road required maintenance.

In 1990, the road's 1.5-inch HMA surface was recycled in place, providing a smoother pavement for the traveling public. It was not until 15 years later, in 2005, that the state had to do more maintenance on the road, removing 2 in. of the road's surface and placing a 6-inch HMA overlay.

Robins & Morton breaks ground on Magnolia Regional Health Center

Healthcare construction specialist Robins & Morton recently broke ground as construction manager on a $32 million project at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth, Miss.

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the 139,000-sq.-ft. project took place in April. Construction includes renovations to the emergency department as well as a new medical office building, patient tower and surgery units. The project will be completed in September 2007. David E. Johnson Architect is the project architect.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, Robins & Morton has completed more than 700 healthcare facilities nationwide.

Musician Willie Nelson's 'BioWillie' on the road again

Earth Biofuels Inc., based in Dallas, said it has opened its second biodiesel truck stop/service station in Grenada, Miss. The company's first biodiesel station opened more than a year ago near Jackson, Miss.

The company previously was based in Jackson.

Earth Biofuels, owned by musician Willie Nelson, produces and distributes biodiesel fuel through wholesale and retail outlets. The fuel is sold under the "BioWillie" brand name.

Nelson, a major advocate of biodiesel fuel, lives near the Austin suburb of Dripping Springs.

Developer launches $750 million condo project near Waveland

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Paradise Properties Group announced recently the launch of the first phase of a master planned community near Waveland, Miss., on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Breezes of Paradise Bay, a nearly 2.5 million-sq.-ft. mixed-use condominium project will be offered for pre-construction sale through Coldwell Banker JME Realty in Pensacola, Fla.

The first tower of the four tower complex is nearly 90 percent sold-out prior to public offering. The high-end luxury project will feature state-of-the-art hurricane resistant construction and "green" building techniques. Paradise Properties Group has announced the entire project to be guided by "green" building principals, including dedicated natural wetland preserves.

Amenities at the resort will include a deep water marina, multiple water features including several pools and spas, a world class health spa, sky bridges between towers, landscaped roof top terraces, and access to a planned Robert Trent Jones, II golf course.

Construction plans call for four levels of covered parking on the first four levels of the structure, a design proven to mitigate storm surge damage. All construction shall meet or exceed the most stringent of building code standards and will include state-of-art technology for wireless communication and energy efficiency.

Breezes of Paradise Bay is one of four planned high rise condominium complexes within the master planned community to be presented by Paradise Properties Group. The developer plans to offer other communities to include estate homes and villas and has plans to immediately address the communities' most pressing housing need, rental apartments.