MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thursday, a select group of north Mississippi leaders will take their fight to widen Interstate 55 to the state capital.

It’s part of an ongoing campaign they call Driving DeSoto. The campaign urges business owners, organizations and residents to join forces with officials

Nearly 200,000 drivers travel I-55 a day, with 75,000 of them in DeSoto County, according to campaign organizers. 

Local leaders are calling for the state to make widening the roadway a top priority.

Since I-55 is is maintained by the state, local officials can’t make the changes they want to see. They plan to ask lawmakers in Jackson for the funding.

According to The Daily Memphian, more than 4,000 electronic signatures have been collected through the Driving DeSoto initiative.