Residents have recently complained that the intersection of Montgomery and Hogan streets is one of the most dangerous in Starkville. This intersection has been the topic of conversation among neighborhood residents as many wrecks have occurred there. “I know of at least five accidents at this intersection in recent years,” Chandler Oswalt, Montgomery Street resident, said.
Oswalt, a Mississippi State Univeristy student, lives at 300 Montgomery St. with Andy Chapman, Aaron Phillips and Beau Johnson and describes the intersection as significantly more hazardous than others in town.
“Most of the accidents happen because it’s hard to see exactly what is coming,” Oswalt said.
“I’ve seen two wrecks just in the past two weeks,” Chapman said.
Hogan Street runs east and west, and Montgomery Street runs perpendicular with a large hill descending toward Hogan that causes reduced visibility for cars that are turning from Hogan onto Montgomery.
“I’m always nervous about pulling out because of that hill. People always fly down it, especially the police,” Chapman said.
“Cars coming over the hill are very hard to see,” Reid Sabin, a student who travels the intersection, said.
Although the hill is part of the problem, it’s not the only part.
“On the corner across from us, there’s a huge oak tree with branches that cover the one stop sign, and there is a picket fence in the yard that makes it really hard to see what’s coming,” Oswalt said.
Jeff Jordan, former resident of Montgomery Street, was once involved in an accident at this intersection.
“It’s such a tricky place. People fly over the hill; the fence decreases visibility, and people don’t pay attention,” Jordan said. Currently, there are stop signs on Hogan but not on Montgomery, and a yellow flashing caution light blinks overhead to warn travelers to slow down.
“The yellow light doesn’t make anyone slow down,” Jordan said.
“I think the light confuses people,” Phillips said.
Johnson said another problem leading to wrecks is the fact that people do not observe the speed limit.
“They go about 45-50 miles an hour, and people don’t even think about looking,” Johnson said.
Police are aware of the danger at this intersection.
“I’m not going to lie; it is dangerous, and I won’t tell you it’s not,” Capt. John Outlaw of the Starkville Police Department said.
Outlaw said the level of danger also depends on the time of day. “Early morning and at 5 p.m. are the worst times, but other than that there’s usually not too much traffic,” Outlaw said.
Outlaw also said people drive too fast down the hill.
“People speed too much in that area, and that needs to stop,” Outlaw said.
Sabin recalls visiting Oswalt’s house.
“We used to just sit up there and watch wrecks,” Sabin said.
Daniel Brink, another roommate of Oswalt’s, said, “I’m always scared to pull out because I can’t see anything. I fear for my life.”
Witnesses to wrecks at this intersection abound. Ragan Housholder, student, saw a wreck recently.
“I thought the car was going to go through the house! It really scared me,” Housholder said. “That intersection is so prone to accidents, it’s crazy.”
Chapman also witnessed a wreck.
“I heard a loud noise, ran outside, and there were two cars in the road, and then we called 911,” Chapman said.
Chapman assisted at the wreck and pulled a small child from the car. While the child was uninjured, the driver of the vehicle was taken to Oktibbeha County Hospital for injuries.
“A guy was driving on Hogan, crossing Montgomery, and hit the (woman’s car), despite the stop sign and flashing light,” Chapman said.
“If the neighbors would clean out their yard and take down their fence, that would help greatly,” Nathen Hendricks, another roommate of Oswalt, said.
“I think the stop signs need to be larger because you can’t see the ones that are there,” Chapman said.
“The stop sign there is bent, and we could maybe replace it after we make sure it meets the criteria for a new one,” Outlaw said.
“They usually send me out here to wash this one off, since it’s faded, but usually they leave them up until the red is completely faded away,” Dewayne Brownlee, City of Starkville Public Works worker, said.
Brownlee said putting up new signs may not seem like a hassle but it is. “We have a huge problem in Starkville with people stealing signs, especially street signs,” Brownlee said.
After a phone call by The Reflector to City Works and SPD, one stop sign was replaced with a brand new one.
On the average, new stop signs cost $30. City Works also said they would send someone to cut the branches that are in the way of the stop sign.
“Maybe they could put up signs that say ‘Stop Ahead’ to help,” Phil Ethridge, student and neighbor, said.
“We could put up a ‘Stop Ahead’ sign, but then that would visually cover up the stop sign itself, like the domino effect, and wouldn’t help at all,” Brownlee said.
“Even a ‘Slow’ sign might help, since people go way too fast through our area,” Lawrence said.
Phillips said adding more signs to raise awareness of the danger could “help reduce the ton of wrecks that occur here.” Police say the intersection is not worth a light, because any intersection can become dangerous, with or without a light.
Police urge motorists driving through this intersection to “be aware of the danger, come to a complete stop on Hogan, don’t speed, and heed the flashing light.