VIDEO: Highway 12 Will Be A Little Less Dangerous

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI News) – Some Starkville drivers say Highway 12 has almost become a nuisance to travel.

Fortunately, repairs and maintenance projects have begun across the highway.

Northern District Transportation Commissioner, Mike Tagert, met with Starkville’s business leaders and city officials on Wednesday, talking about how this construction project is coming.

“It’s on schedule. Everything’s moving as well as possible for a big construction project like that. The focus of that project is simply the safety aspect of highway 12,” said Tagert.

It’s not a secret that Highway 12 is dangerous, but there are some statistics that back up the belief.

“After doing a complete safety review for the entire corridor, we found that it had the highest crash rate of any state route north of the Jackson Metro Area,” said Tagert.

Lawmakers have cut the state Department of Transportation’s budget, preventing the construction of newer, much needed highways.

Tagert says MDOT will focus on keeping the condition of high traffic roads in check.

“We have a philosophy within the Department of Transportation for the last few years to downsize our new construction,” said Tagert, “simply because our focus is on maintenance and safety. And so the crux of the budget will be exactly that, safety improvements, maintaining the system that we’ve already built.”

As a Starkville resident, Tagert drives this road almost everyday, so he knows the construction can be a headache.

However, he believes the eventual outcome will be a big improvement.

“It’s a huge safety issue for us, and that is such an essential business corridor within the community. And so this project is aimed at improving that route and the safety on it,” Tagert said.

Crews are wasting no time, as they are on site day and night on the consistently busy Highway 12.