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.

Wells succeeds former Bishop Brian Seage

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi is being formally installed Saturday, and she is first woman and first Black person to hold the post.

The Rev. Dorothy Sanders Wells was elected bishop in February and has been in the leadership role since May. She is being ordained and consecrated by the Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.

Wells succeeds former Bishop Brian Seage, who was elected in 2014 and had been in the role since the 2015 retirement of his predecessor.

The Mississippi diocese has about 17,600 members in 87 congregations.

Wells is a native of Mobile, Alabama, and studied vocal performance at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned a law degree from the University of Memphis and practiced law for 18 years in Memphis before becoming a priest.

She earned a master of divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry degree from Emory University.

Wells told the Clarion Ledger that she does not focus on being the first woman and first Black person to become the Episcopal bishop of Mississippi.

She was previously rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tennessee, and chaplain of the church’s preschool. She had been there since 2013. She said leaders of the Mississippi Diocese are looking for ways to help small, rural congregations serve their communities.

“It is a priority to re-energize and get people excited again about all of the ministry opportunities that we have,” she said.

Advertisement

Wells said she wants people to emphasize their faith in everyday interactions.

“If it ends when our time together ends on Sunday mornings, then we have already missed the message,” Wells said. “That should be the beginning. When we walk out the doors, that becomes the beginning of us showing that radical love and hospitality.”

Recommended Stories

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A single-vehicle crash in Fayette County left one teenager dead and another injured Thursday night, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reports.

At around 10:45 p.m., a 2021 Toyota Corolla traveling on Alabama State Route 18 left the roadway, struck a culvert and overturned. Ashton Miller, 19, of Fulton, Miss., was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, 17, was airlifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment with undisclosed injuries.

The crash occurred near the 22-mile marker, roughly eight miles northwest of Fayette. No further information is available as ALEA continues to investigate.