Video: MDOT To Improve Safety At Three Dangerous Intersections On Highway 45 In Baldwyn

[syndicaster id=’6203721′]

BALDWYN, Miss. (WCBI) — Parts of cars and trucks litter the intersection of Highway 45 and Southwest Avenue.

And in the parking lot of the “Git N Go” convenience store, an SUV sits, one week after it was involved in accident at Baldwyn’s most dangerous intersection.

“I know there’s been a lot of wrecks,” said Baldwyn Mayor Michael James, who says there are also a lot of accidents at two other intersections, Fashion Way and Highway 45 and County Road 2788, also known as Pratts Road.

“What happens is, even if traffic is running the speed limit, you have four lanes of traffic here and when people pull up, I think the problem is they try to cross all four lanes without stopping in the median, and seeing what’s coming,” Mayor James said.

In the past five years, three fatalities have occurred at the Southwest intersection.

That’s what prompted Mississippi Department of Transportation engineers to look at ways to make all three intersections safer.

Here’s what MDOT has decided to do; Traffic lights will be installed at Pratts Road and Southwest Avenue intersections. A directional median will prevent left turns onto Highway 45.

MDOT district One Engineer Mark Holley says the process is moving ahead.

“Once the design process is complete, then construction documents will be prepared and the contract will be bid, once a contractor is selected, we can move into construction,” Holley said.

Work on all three projects will take place at the same time.

“We’re very thankful that that’s happening, because we don’t want to see another life lost, we don’t want to see another accident here,” Mayor James said.

MDOT hopes to have a contract on the projects by this fall.