TUPELO - Repeated delays plaguing construction of the city's northern loop have prompted some road officials to suggest focusing on other projects instead.

At least two members of Tupelo's Major Thoroughfare Committee said this week that the group should consider widening East Main and South Gloster streets while awaiting state and federal approval on the northern loop.

The loop will connect Coley Road in west Tupelo with Barnes Crossing Road near the busy shopping district to the north. It's divided into several separate projects, many of which require state and federal oversight.

But these agencies - including the Mississippi Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration - have long lists of demands, and navigating that process has taken the committee longer than expected.

As a result, only one of the several loop projects has been completed to date. And no one knows for sure when the others will start.

"While we're waiting for approval, shouldn't we look at doing some of the other projects in this phase?" asked committee member JD Moore during the group's monthly meeting Monday at City Hall.

Moore and fellow member Brad Prewitt worried the group would have little to show by the end of the current five-year phase unless it started work soon in other areas of the city.

The committee is led by citizen volunteers with the task of making major road improvements inside the city.

It operates in five-year phases using taxpayer money, and is currently halfway through phase four. Tupelo residents vote every five years whether to extend the program into another phase.

The current phase consists of the loop projects, a new bridge on Eason Boulevard and the widening of East Main and South Gloster.

Committee members initially had decided to complete the loop and the bridge before moving onto Main or Gloster, but they hadn't anticipated years of delays.

Committee Chairman Greg Pirkle said he understood the concerns but cautioned against switching focus. That's because without at least $5 million more in state or federal aid, the group will lack enough money to complete all the projects in this phase.

If it abandons the loop for Main or Gloster and doesn't receive that money, it won't have the funds to finish the loop once approval arrives.

"It would be a road to nowhere," said committee member Chuck Imbler Jr.

Pirkle said he feels confident about getting the money, but not enough to launch other projects.

"It's frustrating, I know," Pirkle said, adding that the loop remains the committee's top priority.

Contact Emily Le Coz at (662) 678-1588 or emily.lecoz@djournal.com.