Road safety needs to be top priority

Published 12:40 am Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Clearly something needs to happen to make the intersection of Kingston Road and U.S. 61 safer to navigate.

The intersection has been the scene of a number of recent accidents, including the tragic, fatal crash in March, which claimed the life of 20-year-old Tyler Brumfield and severely injured Nikki Worthey, 20, both of Natchez.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors discussed the safety of the Kingston Road intersection, as well as others, at its meeting Monday.

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Part of the complication of making something happen quickly to improve safety for travelers is the multiple agencies involved. While county supervisors are charged with maintaining Kingston Road, U.S. 61 is under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

We think County Supervisor Mike Lazarus’ suggestion to have a flashing light placed on the highway to make drivers more aware of traffic merging onto or from Kingston Road is a good one. Such an addition would seem a simple, but possibly effective way to make the intersection a bit more noticeable.

Even though such would be under the jurisdiction of MDOT, it’s worth county officials taking the lead and pursuing.

The situation isn’t going to get better on its own. Let’s start today working with officials at MDOT to come up with a solution that make traveling both roads a safer experience.