Sen. Bob M. Dearing says he’s excited about being named chairman of the Mississippi Senate’s highways and transportation committee.

He’s not the only one.

Dearing, a Democrat from Natchez, has the enviable — and perhaps unenviable — position of chairing the committee that is viewed as having incredible control over the economic development of Adams County and southwest Mississippi.

And, quite simply, the control comes in the completion of four-lane highway projects.

For years now — dozens of years — we in southwest Mississippi have complained of being isolated from the rest of the state.

Quite specifically, we’ve pushed for the completion of four-laning projects on U.S. 61 (to the north and south) and U.S. 84 (to the east and west) to connect Adams County to more populated regions such as Baton Rouge, Jackson, Alexandria, and so forth.

Without those four-lane corridors in and out of Adams County, we’ve been handicapped in economic development efforts. After all, with ground transportation limited to two-lane roads, many companies will look elsewhere before giving Adams County a chance to compete.

And, while we see neighbors such as Wilkinson County reap the benefits of completed four-lane projects, we in Adams County have waited –&160;not so patiently — for the corridors to be completed.

Now, Sen. Dearing may have some real voice in the completion of that project — and in the allocation of funding and prioritizing of future highway and transportation projects.

It’s about time.

For too long, southwest Mississippi has been the somewhat forgotten corner of the state.

It’s time for that to change.