Jackson County Road Receives Long-Awaited Safety Improvements
After receiving complaints from local residents for years, Jackson County authorities have finally announced plans to redesign an intersection in Ocean Springs. The roadway receiving a long-overdue remodel is in the area near the intersection of Old Fort Bayou and Yellow Jacket Road.
The intersection to be reconstructed is in the road leading up to St. Martin High School, as well as nearby middle and elementary schools. The intersection has long been a subject of concern to neighboring residents and parents of St. Martin students, due to the sharp, blind curve leading up to the school. One staffer of local Congressman Steven Palazzo shared, “fifteen years ago, I was a student, actually, at St. Martin High School, and one of my first accidents was right here in front of this intersection.” Local authorities have plans to shift a portion of Old Fort Bayou road 300 feet to the north, so that it connects directly to Yellow Jacket Road, eliminating the sharp bend in the road and paving a straighter path to the three schools. The intersection will also receive a traffic light. St. Martin High School Principal Dina Holland noted, when speaking to transportation and county authority representatives, “as a lifelong resident of St. Martin, I’ve watched this project just sit here on the table and it’s been a passion of mine. From the St. Martin community, St. Martin students, I want to thank you.”
Local and state governments in charge of designing and maintaining roads and highways have a duty to carry out their job safely and competently. This can include repairing damage to the road in the form of potholes or cracked pavement which could cause damage to a car or cause a crash. This duty also includes designing and engineering roads in such a way that they do not facilitate dangerous car accidents, posting necessary signage to indicate curves in the road, and installing traffic signals or stop signs where necessary. When local authorities repeatedly receive complaints about a particular road or intersection being unsafe, and the area is often the site of accidents or close calls, those local authorities may be financially liable to accident victims for their failure to take steps to make that road or intersection safer.
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Mississippi caused by a dangerous or defective road, get help obtaining the compensation you’re owed after a crash by contacting dedicated, trial-ready Biloxi personal injury attorney Corban Gunn for a free consultation on your case, at 228.284.6805.
