Repairs are expected to begin soon on a damaged section of U.S. 80, a Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesman said.

MDOT spokesman Mike Flood said Mississippi Transportation commissioners have awarded a $339,787.50 contract to Theobald Construction Services LLC of Vicksburg to repair the section of the highway that was damaged by heavy rains in January and February.

He said representatives for the contractor and MDOT recently held a pre-construction conference on the project. He said no specific start date has been set, but the contractor wants to begin work “as soon as possible.”

Flood said the project is expected to be completed by mid-August, depending on conditions.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors learned the contract was awarded during a conference call Monday with county engineer Keith O’Keefe of Neel –Shaffer Engineers.

State officials on Feb. 11 closed the section of the major thoroughfare between the cement plant and Mount Alban Road after problems with the road caused by runoff from heavy rains eroded the highway’s shoulder and caused the roadway to fail, making it unsafe to travel.

This is not the first problem to hit the highway.

In 2016, erosion caused by two days of heavy rains forced state officials to shut down both lanes of a section of U.S. 80 at Thornhill Road to repair a washout that removed dirt from under the highway’s westbound lane.