Blackjack Road improvements in works
Mississippi State University and Oktibbeha County are working together to improve safety and traffic flow on the areas of Blackjack Road adjacent to the MSU campus.
Oktibbeha County has applied for a $3 million grant from the Mississippi Development Authority that will be used to expand the north end of Blackjack Road between Stone Blvd. and Hardy St. and add pedestrian safety measures at heavily trafficked intersections. The grant, which comes from Mississippi Economic Development Highway Act funds, requires a 10 percent match, which MSU has agreed to pay on behalf of Oktibbeha County. If the grant is approved, the substantial improvements could be complete as early as fall 2017.
Kathy Gelston, MSU’s associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development, said identifying funds for improving Blackjack Road has been a priority since coming to MSU in 2014.
“There’s still some more actions that have to happen to get final approval, but everything is on track for that,” Gelston said. “I continue to be in contact with MDA and have expressed the university’s concerns about safety. We’re getting great cooperation from the county and MDA and we’re doing everything we can to partner with Oktibbeha County to make sure that road gets improved.”
Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer said he is glad to partner with the university to address one of the county’s most important infrastructure needs.
“We have many needs across the county and Blackjack has been a high-priority issue for us,” Trainer said.
The plans, designed by County Engineer Clyde Pritchard, include “slip lanes” on the north side of Blackjack that will allow for improved traffic flow and efficiency at two busy intersections. Each intersection also will be equipped with pedestrian signaling and striping, increasing the safety of students that cross the road to get to and from the MSU campus.
A portion of the grant money will go toward drainage and wetlands mitigation costs associated with the project. The university will provide an easement to Oktibbeha County for part of the ditch that runs along Stone Blvd. next to the old intramural fields.
“There will be a bottomless culvert built along the intramural fields with sidewalks on top of it,” Gelston said. “That means that we’ll have a better ingress and egress for pedestrian traffic and we’ll also deal with our wetlands issues that expanding the Stone/Blackjack intersection is going to cause.”
The grant application was prepared by the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District. If funding is approved, the project will be overseen by the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Office of State Aid. University and county officials are aiming for the bulk of the construction to take place during the summer of 2017. As the project moves forward, all individuals on the MSU campus or in the surrounding area are encouraged to make safety a top priority.
“Safety is everyone's responsibility, and we all need to make a personal commitment to follow the rules of the road, avoid distracted driving and share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians,” Starkville in Motion President David Harned said. The local organization promotes the development and maintenance of bike lanes, sidewalks and trails in Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
The proposed improvements to Blackjack between Stone Blvd. and Hardy St. come at a time when three additional projects in the area are either planned or under construction. The new south entrance road, currently under construction, will connect to Blackjack at the Stone Blvd. intersection. MSU, the City of Starkville and Oktibbeha County have partnered to extend the Lynn Lane bike and pedestrian path to Blackjack through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Additionally, Oktibbeha County is exploring options for improvements to Blackjack between Hardy and Bardwell Rd., which encompasses a heavily-populated area.
“There will be challenges—there is with every road issue—but I really think everybody is moving in the same direction and wants the same things,” Gelston said. “I think we have a path to success. By this time next year, we should have a much-improved road.”
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.
James Carskadon | Public Affairs
