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Brown expounds on plans
Published Sunday, July 20, 2008
NATCHEZ — Mississippi Department of Transportation officials project that in 20 years 55,000 cars a day will travel through the intersection of D’Evereux Drive and Seargent S. Prentiss Drive.
And they plan to prepare the roadways for the load.
Revamping the intersection — where the remains of a former truck scale station still sit — is the next project on the list for Natchez, MDOT Executive Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown said this week.
Brown, a former Natchez mayor, spoke Thursday to members of the Natchez Trace Kiwanis Club about local projects.
The D’Evereux project is third on the MDOT list, behind the now completed Natchez Trace terminus and bridge and the ongoing work at John R. Junkin and U.S. 61 South.
“(D’Evereux) will be a traditional intersection,” Brown said. “It will have a combination of turning lanes and a flyover. Coming north to the St. Catherine Creek bridge you’ll go over a flyover, merge right and make a loop to cross 61 to get to Ryan’s (restaurant).”
The intersection will offer free movement of traffic, without stoplights, he said.
Currently the intersection sees approximately 35,000 cars a day, and is the busiest in Natchez, Brown said.
“It looks like we overbuild sometimes, but we are building 20 years out,” he said.
A timetable on the D’Evereux project is not yet finalized, but the work won’t begin until the current road project in front of Natchez Regional Medical Center is completed, Brown said.
Work at John R. Junkin and U.S. 61 South is slated for completion in July or August 2009. The finished product will be a continuous flow intersection that moves traffic without changes in elevation. A remote system that controls traffic signals will ensure that drivers never have to stop.
“It’s going to be different,” Brown said. “You’ll get used to it. When you get to the intersection you’ll be head to head with traffic.”
The intersection is modeled after on in Mexico, and only a few others exist in the world, one of which is in Baton Rouge.
Right now, MDOT statistics show that 25,000 cars move through the intersection a day. The 20-year prediction is for 36,000 cars a day.
Work on the continuous flow intersection is moving along fine now, Brown said. But a four-month delay due to an incorrect calculation on the part of engineers cost MDOT approximately $1 million.
The entire project is expected to cost $6 million.
Once work is done, there will be direct access from the highway into the shopping centers in the area and into the hospital. The existing frontage roads will disappear.
Brown also fielded questions from the club and gave reports on the following:
4MDOT’s $1.3 billion budget has approximately 40 percent less buying power due to inflation and gas prices, he said. The gas bill is up $40 million in unbudgeted money so far this year.
4MDOT is still working to line the Mississippi River Bridge with white lights. The project has been talked about for several years, but Brown said progress should be seen within a year.
Comments
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 2:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amazing how Natchez can see 20 years out for a road but yet can't see ahead for jobs...Things that make you go hmmm..
Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on July 20, 2008 at 9:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amazing how we can be having an energy crisis but are going to put decorative lights on the bridges. Thank God the government and not the people will be paying the electricity bill for that.
Posted by ProNatchez (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Butch is always looking for new and inventive ways to spend our money. God bless him.
Posted by Inquirer (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanks Butch. This town needs an update in traffic flow. And who knows maybe the lights will help steer the barges in the right direction instead of them crashing into the bridge.
Posted by olderthandirt (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can anyone tell me where the continous flow road is in Baton Rouge? Thanks!
Posted by ghost (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
baton rouge...they just completed one last year at the intersection on Airline highway and Seigen lane.
Posted by ghost (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 11:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Siegen lane...sorry
Posted by ghost (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 12:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
so this means an approx. 40 % increase in traffic in 20 years? thats funny. Natchez will be dried up economically and socially in twenty years. who are they expecting to come here?
Posted by xenon314 (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ah, yes...and the negative comments come out. Not surprising, considering the sources.
We've had two mayors since Butch was in office - what did they do? One white, one black - race obviously didn't matter, because neither did anything, yet Butch keeps getting blamed for Natchez' problems.
MDOT is going to spend that money, no matter who is the chief - what's the problem with Adams County getting its share?
Honestly, this posting area has more "glass half empty" people on it that I would have ever imagined...and some don't even live in Natchez!
Posted by pbnj (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ghost
I would not assume anyone will be coming here,but I will tell you who will still be here are the people perfectly happy here not having to work and have the pleasure of riding the roads and sucking up walmarts air conditioning all day. so actually once more people hear what a lap of luxury Ntz is i am sure we will have more flocking to ntz to live the GOOD LIFE.
Posted by ghost (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Unlikely tag surrenders.
Posted by hossfly (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 3:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Grant had enough sense to recognize that Port Gibson was too beautiful to burn. Brown and MDOT does not have the same sense. LEAVE PORT GIBSON ALONE!!!
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 7:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
hossfly
I was hearing all the talk about the street saving in Port Gibson so I did a little research. What I found is that MDOT proposed to build a bypass around one side of town to reduce the amount of traffic thru the heart of town. Only makes sense as you wouldn't want the traffic, noise and pollution from a major highway thru the middle of a town. There was complaining from all directions that this bypass would kill the town and dry up the town. So MDOT proposed another location for the bypass. Same whining and complaining. Finally MDOT proposed widening the road thru town, and that's where we are today.
Bottom line is no matter what MDOT does people are going to complain. Just look at the above blogs. Natchez has its roads falling apart and now that we are getting them repaired people still complain. Go figure!
Posted by lambchop (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 8:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There are too many nay-sayers! Nothing ever pleases them. Money is going to be spent in our neck of the woods --- and these people are complaining because Natchez does not have jobs. Get real people. I probably won't live to see all this new innovative work that is going to take place but thank God that Adams County is getting some of it. We have long been overlooked and thus our economy has suffered. These new roads will make it easier for people to get in and, yes, even get through us.
Some of these people traveling through (you know -- the tourist), might just like what they see and come back. Businesses start by word of mouth as much as naysayers can kick it in the pants.
You wonder why Mississippi is classified last in the minds of people, just read the above comments and see how much is not saying "thank you MDOT" for not forgetting us.
Sure hope I live to see some of this get done!
Posted by grrbrts (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 9:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds good to me. Just be consistent with the way things (light fixtures, plants, sidewalks, etc.) were done at the intersection of Liberty Road and Seargent S. Prentiss Drive. A walkway over Seargent S. Prentiss Drive, from the Natchez Regional Hospital to Walgreens, would be convenient.
Posted by hossfly (anonymous) on July 20, 2008 at 10:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So Mike where did you do your research because this is not the story that I have heard.
Posted by Natchez3 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I totally agree with Mike and lambchop about the negative people that post on this blog.
The more that gets done in Natchez the louder they complain.
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hoss - I spoke with Willie Huff, used to be police chief in natchez, now works for MDOT. This should be an issue for the people of Port Gibson, they need to work it out. It has nothing to do with us in Ntz, MDOT will do whatever the people of Port Gibson decide upon. I would bet this is going to go to election so the people of Port Gibson can decide.
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 3:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
willie knows nothing about roads butch thinks he does, but at least these men do try
Posted by ilovenatchez2 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The funny thing about this article and discussion is that Butch also addressed and explained the issue of Port Gibson at that same meeting. AND he also mentioned a program that he is working on to re-do CITY roads using state and Federal funds - a concept never before heard of. Whey didn't the Democrat cover that? This is BIG news.
Posted by mike8427 (anonymous) on July 21, 2008 at 10:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Thats right natchez500, Willie works for MDOT, but I am sure you know more than he does, b/c you are what? Nothing? Tell me why you know so much.
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