Mississippi finally has a source of funding for the upkeep of the state’s roads and bridges.

Legislators convened a special session Aug. 23 through Wednesday in Jackson to hammer out a funding package the governor signed in to law on Tuesday.

Under the package House Bill 1, portions of the state’s internet sales tax revenues will be sent back to counties and cities to be used for infrastructure repair.

Adams County and the City of Natchez will get more than $1 million per year through the package.

Adams County’s portion will be approximately $558,000.73 per year and Natchez’s portion will be approximately $513,723 per year.

That’s good news for Natchez and Adams County.

Adams County has for years been funding road and bridge maintenance through capital improvement bond issues at a cost to taxpayers.

The result has been that Adams County’s roads and bridges have been, for the most, part adequately maintained with only two bridges out at the time the Legislature went into the special session.

That is not the case, however, in many other rural Mississippi counties as the Federal Highway Commission forced the state to close some 100 roads deemed unsafe after the Legislature adjourned regular session earlier this year without coming up with a funding mechanism for roads and bridges.

Also, legislators have sent a bill to Gov. Phil Bryant, which he is expected to sign, approving a state lottery that will provide additional revenue for the state’s roads and bridges.

That is certainly good news, not only for Natchez and Adams County, but also for the entire state.