Board joins effort for changes at intersection

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Lincoln County supervisors will express their concern over thedangerous intersection of Highway 84 and Jackson-Liberty Drive in aformal letter to the Mississippi Department of Transportation,attempting to add more weight to previous discussions with theagency and joining thousands of citizens who want significantchanges made at the junction.

The board voted unanimously Monday to dispatch the letter toMDOT after Zetus Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dale Anding andpresident Grady Case rallied for more attention at the intersectionknown as Laird’s Crossing.

Zetus VFD is sponsoring an ongoing petition calling for majorchanges at the crossing that has gathered approximately 5,500signatures within the last month. Lincoln County Sheriff SteveRushing has already written one letter to MDOT.

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“Our local paper published – and it was very revealing to me -the number of accidents at that particular location,” said LincolnCounty Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop, who will compose the letter.”That in and of itself is a reason something major needs to be donethere.”

According to records maintained by the Mississippi HighwayPatrol, 36 accidents have occurred at Laird’s Crossing since 2006,far more than any other Highway 84 intersection in the county. Adip in the roadbed of the eastbound lane is said to “hide”vehicles, resulting in Jackson-Liberty motorists unknowinglycrossing the highway in front of vehicles often doing 70 mph orbetter.

Since a fatality at the intersection last month and thesubsequent increase in public interest, MDOT is planning a sizeableproject this fall to elevate the roadbed and eliminate the dip.

But the Zetus firefighters don’t believe the project will put anend to the danger at Laird’s Crossing. They are calling for theinstallation of a four-way stop, a cheaper and hopefully moreabsolute solution.

“People in the community just don’t feel like raising the gradeis going to solve the problem,” Anding said.

Anding said the intersection of Highway 84 and East Lincoln Roadwas once as dangerous as Laird’s Crossing, but the installation ofa four-way stop there has reduced accidents.

However, MDOT Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown saidearlier this month that Laird’s Crossing does not meet the federalrequirements for the installation of a four-way stop.

“We conform to those standards, and by conforming to thosestandards we can get federal funds to do these projects,” he said.”We could tell those standards goodbye, and we’d be telling thosefunds goodbye.”

Board President the Rev. Jerry Wilson suggested installing stopsigns at the intersection, but Board Attorney Bob Allen said thecounty is powerless to intervene and modify the approximately25-mile stretch of federal highway that cuts Lincoln County inhalf.

“It’s a U.S. highway, and we can’t touch it,” Allen said.

Regardless, the Zetus firefighters are pushing ahead with theirdemands for a four-way stop.

“Y’all don’t see it, but we do – we’re the ones who have to dragthe dead bodies out of the cars,” Case said.