Video: M.D.O.T. Asks For Public Opinion On Possible Highway Project

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Starkville, Miss. (WCBI) — The Mississippi Department of Transportation was at The Mill at M.S.U. Wednesday to show residents possible changes that could be coming to Highway 12.

M.D.O.T. officials said the project would stretch from the Highway 12 bypass to Spring Street.

The meeting was open to the public and displays of the proposed projects were shown to residents, as well as M.D.O.T. representatives present to answer questions.

Officials said the biggest changes would be the addition of raised medians, which would eliminate a center turning lane.

Transportation Commissioner for the Northern District Mike Tagert said the project is all about creating a safer and more efficient highway.

Tagert also said a five year study of the highway showed there were 1,664 accidents in that time period, or “a crash every 29 hours”.

Residents also had the chance to submit comments and concerns about the possible proposals.

Meg Henderson said, while she supports the M.D.O.T. project, “I was also a little disappointed that bike paths and sidewalks were not included because a lot of the safety issues are not just vehicle issues, they’re also pedestrians and cyclists.”

Starkville resident Jim Gafford had similar thoughts as Henderson, but said he is glad the state and local organizations allowed him to be a part of the process.

“It’s great to see that we have both the state organization, the local government organizations, working together to try and improve an area that has clearly been neglected from an infrastructure standpoint…”, said Gafford, “…and trying to find solutions for real and obvious problems.”

No timeline has been set on the project because M.D.O.T. will first review the comments and concerns from residents, and then move forward with a plan of action.