The wheels may soon fall off the fiscal charade the Mississippi Department of Transportation has been riding for more than a decade.

For the past 13 years, Mississippi lawmakers and MDOT officials have touted the 1987 state highway plan which set up a timetable to four-lane many state roads including the main arteries into Natchez and Adams County – U.S. 61 and U.S. 84.

At the time it was heralded is as a great, wonderful thing that would propel Mississippi into the 21st century.

On Wednesday, five days shy of the new century, a report issued by a legislative watchdog shows MDOT’s mismanagement led to huge cost overruns and needless delays on statewide road projects.

The report by the Performance and Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee paints the picture of a department in complete disarray. No accountability or progress tracking has led to years of delays and millions and millions of dollars in cost overruns, according to the PEER report.

With the ugly cat out of the bag, now what do we do?

MDOT officials and the state legislators who approved all of the plans – and likely complicated issues by tacking on &uot;extras&uot; throughout the process – need to wipe the egg off their faces, correct the accountability problems and move ahead.

We find it a bit embarrassing that – while other states are worrying about the information superhighway – we’re still worrying with mismanaged asphalt and money issues.