Mississippi

Curious Mississippi: Why are Jackson’s roads brown?

Published

2 years ago

July 21, 2024

Curious Mississippi: Why are Jackson’s roads brown?

Is it dust? Sun? Mississippi mud? Guess again.

This is the latest edition of Curious Mississippi, a service to the readers of the Clarion Ledger. Other questions answered by Curious Mississippi have surrounded potholes, cicadas, the international nature of Jackson’s airport and water availability charges. Last week, we looked at the expense of registering a car in Jackson.

Ever wondered why the streets in Jackson and other parts of Mississippi have a distinctive red-brown hue?

While some people may guess it’s dust or a street suntan or maybe just some classic Mississippi mud, the answer is far more simple. The asphalt is really, really old.

“What you’re looking at out there is older asphalt, probably more than 15 years [old], maybe 20,” said Lance Yarbrough, associate professor of geology and geological engineering at University of Mississippi.

Jackson Potholes: Fixing Jackson’s pothole problem: An overwhelming task for a division with 10-12 workers

Good asphalt can last up to 30 years, Yarbrough said, but it has to be maintained to beat out the Mississippi heat and rain.

“After many years that asphalt ages out in a process called oxidation. All you’re doing is bleeding out bits of volatile materials and it doesn’t look black anymore. It goes to that stained brownish gray,” he said.

There are two main components of asphalt: the binder, which gives asphalt its distinct black coloring, and the aggregate, the sand and rocks mixed in.

More on Jackson streets: Council approves resurfacing project, but a few members question which streets got picked

Though brown roads in and of themselves are not dangerous, very old asphalt that goes unattended can lead to cracks and potholes. If you notice smooth blacktops in other cities outside of Jackson, it’s from updated maintenance and repaving.

“What you’re seeing now is that lack of maintenance, lack of money being able to do the maintenance,” Yarbrough said.

A close examination of one of Jackson’s tried-and-true roads reveals rocks in rainbow hues of white, red, orange, gray, black and white.

Griffin Sullivan, materials engineer for Mississippi Department of Transportation, said that as the asphalt on the state’s interstates and highways age, the top layer of black binder wears off, revealing a new color below.

“The color it changes to is actually just the color of the rocks that we use to make asphalt, so here in Mississippi, we use a lot of gravel to aggregate our asphalt, so it will take on the color of tan,” he said.

Exposure to sun and UV rays also contribute to the discoloration, Sullivan added.

Why Jackson has so many potholes: Why are there so many potholes, dips and humps in MS roads? | Curious Mississippi answers

Are brown roads unique to Mississippi? Yes and no. In states such as Alabama, where the main material in the aggregate is limestone, older roads will take on a gray tone. But Mississippi gravel, the local aggregate source chosen by asphalt companies for its economic viability and long-lasting road performance, fades to a reddish brown.

“It’s really dependent on the materials it’s made out of,” Sullivan said. “The only time a road is truly black is when it’s first constructed.”

Years later, all that’s left is the rock below.

Have a question? Email CuriousMississippi@ClarionLedger.com.

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Mississippi

Minnesota stuns Mississippi with late comeback, buzzer-beater to advance to Sweet 16

Published

8 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota stuns Mississippi with late comeback, buzzer-beater to advance to Sweet 16

Host Minnesota was in trouble against No. 5 seed Ole Miss on Sunday, trailing 54-46 heading into the fourth quarter.

But it rallied to stun Mississippi with a late comeback capped by a game-winning bucket in the final second to secure a 65-63 win.

Minnesota tied the game at 61-61 with a Mara Braun 3 with 1:17 remaining.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Made brings artisans, food vendors to Laurel

Published

20 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Made brings artisans, food vendors to Laurel

LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) – Mississippi Made is an arts and crafts festival hosted by Laurel Mercantile that includes makers from all over Mississippi.

About 60 vendors gathered on March 21 to display their creative art for local residents and tourists to enjoy.

“It’s relaxing out here. My husband loves art, and I was like ‘hey, the local artisans from the hometown show are going to be in Laurel, my parents live an hour away,’” said Brandy Haynes of Fort Worth, Texas.

“I said we could go see my parents, and I mentioned it to my son and his fiancée, and they were like ‘Oh, we’ll come along.’”

Not only were there vendors showing off their arts and crafts, but there were also vendors selling food that satisfied the taste buds.

“We started the farm two years ago and started going to local markets just kind of doing greens, corn, peas and then we got into making things,” said John Dew, co-owner of Dew Kissed Farms.

Members of the Laurel Mercantile are grateful for the turnout at the event and glad to be a part of people’s new experiences.

“I just want to thank the community for coming out and supporting. The weather was great today, and lots of footsteps,” said senior store manager Erica Crowder.

“It was great to see so many new faces coming to shop at our stores this week.”

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How to Watch No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Press Room

How to Watch No. 6 Mississippi State vs. Vanderbilt at Dudy Noble Field

No. 6 Mississippi State won a low-scoring series opening game against Vanderbilt and Friday night. Now the two sides will meet again for a Saturday evening game. Here’s everything to know about the Bulldogs’ and Commodores’ second game of the weekend.

The Opponent: Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt brings a 13-9 overall record with it, including a series win over defending national champion and then 13th-ranked LSU at home last weekend. The Commodores are coming off a 5-1 loss to Indiana in Nashville on Tuesday.

Vandy is No. 2 nationally with 52 home runs, rank fourth in slugging (.603) and 10th in drawing walks (136). Tim Corbin’s club is batting .308 and scoring 8.6 runs per game. They have also stolen 26 bases in 31 attempts and have a fielding percentage of .979.

Brodie Johnston tops Vanderbilt hitting .393 while Braden Holcomb is tied for second in the league with 11 long balls to go along with 33 RBIs. Rigdon Rustan has been the Commodores biggest base thief with six steals in seven tries.

Fennell leads the way in strikeouts while Austin Nye, Nate Schlote and Adria Casoliba all sport flawless ERAs. Tristan Bristow and England Bryan are responsible for both of Vanderbilt’s saves this season.

Weather Forecast

Saturday should be another near-perfect night for a baseball game. The National Weather Service’s forecast is “clear, with a low around 61. South southwest wind around 5 mph.”

Vanderbilt

Out

P #43 Matthew Shorey
P #90 Miller Green
P #92 Adria Casoliba
P #99 England Bryan

Questionable

P #40 Austin Nye
C #44 Colin Barczi

Mississippi State

Probable

OF #5 Aidan Teel

How to Watch: Vanderbilt at No. 6 Mississippi State

Who: Vanderbilt Commodores (13-10, 2-2 SEC) at No. 6 Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-4, 2-2 SEC)
When: 6 p.m., Saturday
Where: Dudy Noble Field, Starkville, Miss.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Live Radio
Stats: Live Stats
Series History: Mississippi State leads the all-time series 77-59-2
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 4, Vanderbilt 2 (Friday)
Last time out, Bulldogs: def. Jackson State, 17-1
Last time out, Commodores: lost to Indiana, 5-1

Pitching Matchup

LHP Wyatt Nadeau (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. LHP Tomas Valincius (4-0, 1.30 ERA)

Mississippi State Batting Leaders

Bryce Chance: .431/.552/.541, 1.093 OPS, 23 R, 25 H, 7 2B, 13 RBI, 11 BB, 3 K, 7 SB
Reed Stallman: .375/.646/.484, 1.130 OPS, 9 R, 18 H, 4 2B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K, 2 SB
Ace Reese: .375/.728/.453, 1.181 OPS, 26 R, 30 H, 11 2B, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 12 BB, 19 K, 2 SB
Aidan Teel: .354/.521/.508, 1.029 OPS, 18 R, 17 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 12 K, 4 SB

Vanderbilt Batting Leaders

Brodie Johnston: .393/.774/.475, 25 R, 33 H, 11 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 11 K, 1 SB
Braden Holcomb: .333.786/.420, 25 R, 28 H, 5 2B, 11 HR, 33 RBI, 14 BB, 23 K, 1 SB
Ryker Waite: .333/.530/.521, 16 R, 22 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 26 BB, 22 K, 5 SB
Mike Mancini: .333/.650/.432, 18 R, 20 H, 4 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 12 BB, 16 K, 5 SB

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