The Mississippi Department of Transportation’s fix of a deadly intersection in Carroll County near the E911 office doesn’t seem like a fix at all, more like putting a bandaid on something that needs a bigger fix.
Shane Correro of Willis Engineer informed the board that MDOT would purchase signs directing traffic to slow down and turn onto Old Highway 35/County Road 272. However, the fix is a temporary one that to Supervisor Claude Fluker and Sheriff Clint Walker doesn’t offer a solution at all.
“All the county would have to do is have the signs installed,” Correro told supervisors.
“A sign is not going stop them,” Fluker said.
He said instead of GPS routing people to continue on Highway 35 to get to Vaiden, it takes them to Old Highway 35. However, they don’t know that they have to slow down to make the turn.
“That’s not going to help,” Walker said. “There have been seven or eight wrecks right there this year. I’d hate for someone to lose a life because MDOT created a problem they won’t fix.”
Fluker agreed with Walker.
“I’ve seen about 20 to 25 wrecks happen right there,” he said.
Walker and Fluker both said people also pull out from the road in front of oncoming vehicles.
“If a person is traveling 60 miles per hour, there is no way they are going to slow down.” He said he’s asked MDOT about the spot previously.
“If this is what they’re offering, then let’s take it. See if it works, but it is not going to work,” Fluker said adding then the county will have a right to ask MDOT to do something else about it.
Also, residents in Beats 1 and 3 will see road work being completed in the near future, although there’s no start date yet. The board accepted the bid from Double S Construction to complete for County Roads 176 in Beat 3 and 74 and 316 in Beat 1 at $150 a ton.
Also, the board:
Heard from Terry Tingle and Jackie McKinney, residents of Beat 4 and Beat 5 about the problems in their respective beats.
Accepted a bid from Red Oak Construction to relocate the Town of Vaiden’s water line on County Road 87.
Approved travel reimbursement for Tara McDonald to attend a training.
