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Traffic flow to change
Published Saturday, November 28, 2009
NATCHEZ — Traffic moving through the intersection of John R. Junkin and Seargent S. Prentiss drives should be continuously flowing next week.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation plans to change the traffic pattern through the intersection to its permanent position Wednesday, if weather permits.
Natchez Police officers and MDOT officials will be on scene directing traffic on the first day of the switch, Resident Engineer Jim Eggleston said.
“If (drivers) will just be patient and pay attention, we’ll make sure everything goes well,” Eggleston said.
How does it work?
For a video of how a continuous flow intersection works, click on the folloing video link from ABMB engineers in Baton Rouge. Video Link .
Work to make the intersection a continuous-flow intersection began in 2008, and MDOT has said it hopes to be complete by the end of the year.
Though the traffic pattern will switch next week, the roads in the area still need two layers of asphalt, Eggleston said.
“We’ll be doing that while traffic is using the intersection,” he said. “That will go rather slowly.”
New traffic signals that have been hanging at the intersection for months will be turned on next week when the switch is made. The old signals will be turned off and removed shortly after.
Though Eggleston admits its hard to understand right now, the new traffic pattern is designed to move more vehicles through the area in a shorter amount of time.
The only major change will be for vehicles coming from the bridge and turning left. Those drivers will cross the lane of traffic headed to the bridge before reaching the intersection.
Other lanes of traffic will operate as they currently do.
One turning lane to eventually be a part of the intersection won’t open next week.
Eggleston said drivers can expect a few less traffic cones in the area next week, but roadwork will continue for sometime.
The speed of the project in the coming weeks will depend on weather, which in the winter months is not favorable for construction.
“Be careful driving through the intersection,” Eggleston said. “The signs are correct, just pay attention.”
Baton Rouge had the only existing continuous-flow intersection in the United States when work in Natchez began, but the model for the Natchez project is a set of roadways in Mexico City, Mexico.
Comments
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 12:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This will be the biggest mess they have made in a long time,fender bender city.
Posted by speakup (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 2:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
didn't they say there would be no lights when this plan was started? why do they call it a continuous flow?
Posted by dirtcookie (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 5:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
No lights, are you serious? Lolz.
If you can't negotiate one of these intersections you should blame yourself and stop driving.
Posted by speakup (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 6:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
when the plan was firdt started they said there would be no lights.
Posted by erohed (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 6:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder what the intersection will be like, whenever there's a power outage?
Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 6:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm sure that this will be an improvement and I'm looking forward to it.
Posted by countryboy14u (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why did they choose this type of intersection and not a standard round about? There are several of the round about's in the Jackson and they are really smooth. The video of this thing looks crazy not to mention a much higher cost to build. Oh yea Natchez never has made any real smart decissions have they. I never could understand myself why in the world the dumb drivers always had to stop in the middle of the road when turning right to go toward the bridge!!!!! That was always a YIELD sign not a stop sign, but stupid people stop anyway. I just don't get understand it. Some of you would never survive driving in a large metropolis area. Well if that is the case maybe we should send most of you there then our roads would be safer cause most of those sent wouldn't return. In closing let me say way to go MORE WASTED MONEY in Natchez. Trace extension #1!
Posted by Let_us_think (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 7:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
These constant flow intersections aren't supposed to be any better than a good roundabout, which operates without traffic lights. The only reason I can think this wasn't done as a roundabout is that we have way more large tractor-rig trucks than in Europe (because of their better rail system), and tractor-rigs wouldn't flow as well in a roundabout. If you've ever driven in Europe you can appreciate the roundabout; you never stop except at the very largest intersections where lights become a necessity. A car dealer near the constant flow intersection at the south edge of Baton Rouge told me the new design reduced the wait from four to five minutes down to 45 seconds.
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why would you copy ANYTHING from Mexico flippin City?
Posted by lambchop (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For all of you with such negative comments -- stay away -- we don't want you to be the first to not read the signs or MDOT officials. Don't go near it and drive around it - go through the neighborhoods, and through town -- just stay away.
CountryBoy - Do you not know what YIELD means? There are times you have to stop because oncoming traffic has the right of way. If you are in the right lane, you don't want some idiot driving like they own that part of the road. How many accidents have you caused?
Why don't ya'll all leave Natchez and Mississippi to us that love it. Go find somewhere else to criticize -- but wait -- you can't go anywhere because you will criticize it too! (GRIN)
Posted by sideline (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by countryboy14u (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 7:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why did they choose this type of intersection and not a standard round about? There are several of the round about's in the Jackson and they are really smooth. The video of this thing looks crazy not to mention a much higher cost to build. Oh yea Natchez never has made any real smart decissions have they. I never could understand myself why in the world the dumb drivers always had to stop in the middle of the road when turning right to go toward the bridge!!!!! That was always a YIELD sign not a stop sign, but stupid people stop anyway. I just don't get understand it. Some of you would never survive driving in a large metropolis area. Well if that is the case maybe we should send most of you there then our roads would be safer cause most of those sent wouldn't return. In closing let me say way to go MORE WASTED MONEY in Natchez. Trace extension #1
Good thing countryboy hasn't been out of mississippi. He couldn't drive, especially on the autobohn.
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What we had worked just fine but I am sure all the illegals that worked on this project enjoyed the imployment. There is no improvement in traffic flow or safety but old Butch, bless his soul was never educated in road construction.
Posted by NtzMom55 (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Natchez Police officers and MDOT officials will be on scene directing traffic on the first day of the switch".
So what happens on the second day when the officers and MDOT officials leave?
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let_us_think-- I have driven in roundabouts before, not in Europe, but in Ilinois, the city of Jonesboro, IL has a roundabout.... it's nice and I can see how a large tractor/trailer rig (18 wheeler) would have difficulty with the tight circle, but they seem to negotiate the one in Jonesboro OK...
I always knew that a true continuous flow would HAVE TO HAVE at least one over/underpass to allow crossing traffic to not have a signal....
But I am hoping that all this work will produce an improvement, we won't know till it's done, as this is a guinea pig project, the first of it's kind (so they say) in MS....
Was supposed to be completed in April of "09 I thought.....
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 1:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder, is this work part of the American Recovery Act, ???
I guess there were a lot of jobs created by going so long over the estimated completion date, our economy must be improving from all this stimulus???
Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now is the time to open somemore body shops.
Posted by DuncanPark (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Krogers" sould do Natchez a favor like the store with the same name did...close up and leave town.
Posted by Continental_Line (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now is the time to open some more body shops.
Posted by bigblulights (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 6:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know, if drivers apparently can't see (yea right) the orange and white cones and the car hood size reduce speed signs in the area what in the wide, wide world of confusion would lead anyone to think this intersection will be anything less than a train wreck waiting to happen.
Posted by bigblulights (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 7:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As I look into my crystal ball I see insurance rates going up, up, up !
Posted by oldguy (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 9:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We are stuck with, what I fear will be a fiasco, like it or not and will have to wait and see if it truly is better than what we had, which worked pretty good. Good enough to us to not be an "experiment". As another poster mused, what will it be like when we have a round of power outages? That crossover lane will be especially treacherous.
What I can't figure out is while they sharpened the arc of the two left turns, simply brilliant. After having suffered through countless years of making the left turn at the old truck scales and having to watch for the trailers of long trucks encroaching onto my right front fender I see they have set up the same scenario X2 in this intersection, real smart.
All said, I hope I am wrong about this, I hope for our millions of dollars and two years of traffic snarls from the devil himself, it works .
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 10:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Disaster on it,s way..you,ll see.
Posted by Ntz (anonymous) on November 28, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
can't wait, setting up tailgating party in tracetown to count how many dumba$$ drivers this town has.
Posted by concernedNTZcitizen (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 3:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We could have a tailgate party in the Ruby Tuesday parking lot on the day of opening? What time shall we meet? Don't forget your camera.
Posted by 3on23 (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Where is the video of how this is supposed to work?
Posted by james (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 8:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THEY CAN,T EVEN LEARN WHAT A YIELD SIGN MEANS OR WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY SEE ONE ! La. & Ms. STATE LAWS OR SLOWER TRAFFIC MUST KEEP TO THE RIGHTSIDE LANE (SLOW LANE) ! THIS WILL BE A SIGHT TO SEE ! I WONDER IS CHOPS ON THE STOCK MARKET THAT WOULD BE A GOOD INVESTMENT !
Posted by Undertaker (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 10:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It still will not stop the idiots from running the red lights who think they aren't required to stop. I agree that something needed to be done, but the problem was traffic light violations not the flow of traffic. How many times have you had to wait while some idiot ran his/her light? To bad Gov. Barbour had to declare traffic cameras illegal, just think of the revenue that would have generated.
Posted by countryboy14u (anonymous) on November 29, 2009 at 2:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually I have driven in most all of the US states, I also have an European driver license. So yes I have driven the autobohn several times in my life.
Posted by sandyman7 (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Some one mentioned Ruby Tuesday's resturant..O yes thats who was promised by OLE Butch he would fix them an easy access road if they opened here...Well they did and he did fixed them an "constant flow" into there Parking Lot!!!!!!!!!
Posted by fortyhills (anonymous) on November 30, 2009 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Millions in taxpayer dollars spent and wasted to create confusion and move the lights 50 feet to enhance the value of Tracetown. Once again the masses are duped into paying for something that benefits the political connected. Time to vote out the status quo, on the local, state and federal levels.
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