West Jackson to Receive Safety Improvements for Pedestrians/Cyclists

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

If you’re one of the brave souls that enjoy walking or cycling down West Jackson Avenue, you will soon see some improvements that will make your stroll or biking safer.

Last week, the Oxford Board of Aldermen approved a request from the city’s Engineering Department to advertise for bids for the West Jackson Pedestrian Signal Improvement Project.

City Engineer Reanna Mayoral said the Mississippi Department of Transportation has reviewed the city’s plans and granted the city permission to advertise, pending approval from the Board of Aldermen.

“Because we’re receiving grant funding, we have to go through MDOT for each step,” Mayoral said.

The West Jackson Ped Project will upgrade or install new pedestrian safety features at the intersections of Rebel, College Hill, Sorority / Washington and Gertrude Ford Boulevard.

“Upgrades will include the reconstruction of ADA ramps and crosswalks to current standards and the modification of traffic signal controllers to allow for new pedestrian activation and phasing, as well as new ped push buttons and signals,” said Assistant City Engineer John Crawley.

Mayoral said the improvements will mostly be noted by pedestrians and cyclists.

“It’s an exciting project,” she said. “If you’re a pedestrian or cyclist, you’ll see there will be a lot of improvements to improve safety along that corridor.”

The project is part of a larger West Jackson Avenue improvement project.

“We hope to receive funding for (that project) one day,” Mayoral said.

Crawley said the project should kick off this summer.