Big changes on the way to 5th Street North in Columbus
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Get your walking shoes ready.
5th Street North in Columbus on its way to becoming more pedestrian friendly.
The City and Lowndes County joined forces to secure grant money to improve the area.
“We’re going to narrow the lanes up to kind of reduce the speed in that area and we’re going to add sidewalks to both sides and we’re also going to add bike lanes to make it more pedestrian friendly,” said Zach Foster, the Lowndes County Engineer.
The project begins near the intersection of 5th Street North and 5th Ave North and will end near the intersection of Highway 45 and 9th Avenue North.
“It’s eventually going to tie well with the downtown area as well as Burns Bottom,” said Foster.
The idea and planning for the improvements go back several years.
“We wanted to do it with the previous administration, but our audit wouldn’t allow it to get to get it done, so we actually teamed up with the county and they put in for the MDOT grant,” said Columbus Mayor Stephen Jones.
Mayor Stephen Jones is looking forward to the changes.
“Overall, it’s going to be great for the city. We want to make things more walkable. Once we get through with the amphitheater, you know have the soccer complex down there, you have the river walk down there. So if someone can walk safely from their home to there, it’ll only add a benefit for the city,” said Jones.
The total cost of the project will be a little over 1.8 million.
The MDOT Grant will cover 1.3 million.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved matching funds to secure the grant.
Burns Dirt is the contactor.
“We want to make it a safe place to live, and we want to make it attract more people to want to live in Columbus. And that’s my vision, to make it a pleasant place to live for everybody and see us boom just like the Tupelo and the Starkville. And we’re going to get there,” said Jones.
A push button for a pedestrian signal will also be added at the intersection of 5th Street North and 5th Ave North.
Construction is expected to start in late September or Early October and to end in Spring around April and May.
The mayor said the new improvements will also make businesses more accessible on 5th Street North.
