After receiving thousands of federal transportation dollars, the city of Starkville has the go-ahead to begin a sidewalk project that will link Highway 12 to the Mississippi State University Amphitheater, giving walkers and cyclists more opportunities for getting to their destinations.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen recently approved $588,000 from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), which the city must match by 20 percent. The Mississippi Transportation Commission announced these dollars are part of $13 million going toward Transportation Alternatives (TA) for non-roadway improvements like sidewalks and multi-use paths.
“Safety is always MDOT’s top priority,” Northern Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert said in a press release. “These projects will help local communities improve lighting, pedestrian access and other transportation infrastructure.”
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said the proposed pathway project continues an existing one that goes from South Montgomery Street to Locksley Way to Blackjack Road to MSU’s campus.
“This project will instead turn to the North and go along Blackjack until it reaches Highway 12, and then turn East and go in front of the Hampton Inn and into the campus and terminate at the amphitheater,” Spruill said.
Starkville City Engineer Edward Kemp said the path will be about half a mile long and large enough to serve a large volume of pedestrians.
“The path will be designed to be a multi-use path, so it’ll be a 10-foot wide concrete pathway, and then that will accommodate walkers and bikers, especially during game day events where there will be a lot of pedestrians,” Kemp said.
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said the new multi-use pathway will not only enhance the university and city connection, but it will also make the community a safer place.
“As MSU continues to grow, pedestrian safety is a concern that is also growing,” Salter said. “This project will enhance safety on a daily basis, and especially on game days. It will be good for town and gown.”
Creating easier access between the two entities is an important goal for the city, Spruill said.
“I believe these types of projects strengthen the connection for not only the city and the university, but the county as well,” Spruill said. “Obviously, as we are able to enhance the ease of access between the city, county and university, we will encourage that same sense of a seamless transition.”
The city of Starkville and the university will remain separate from one another, Spruill explained.
“While we are definitely distinct entities. It behooves us all to appreciate each one’s attributes, and we can only do that by participating in activities on and off campus,” Spruill said. “If we can make it easier to access the city, county and campus for all the residents, then we have gone a long way to making that sense of connectivity a reality. Just as the SMART bus system strengthens that connection, so will an extension of additional walking and biking opportunities.”
The next step for the city will be working with the university and county to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Spruill said. After this step, the engineering work begins and construction drawings will be laid out, followed by the bidding and construction process. Kemp said completing the paperwork is the city’s main goal at the moment, and construction may not start right away.
“I would anticipate we would not even get to construction probably until approximately a year from now, would be my guess,” Kemp said. “The project itself, I’m anticipating will take no longer than a few months, two to three months most likely.”
Spruill said the preliminary preparation for the project should start soon, and it should be finished no later than 2020.
“It will be a while before there is something visible, but the behind-the-scenes work will begin as soon as we can get the agreement in place,” Spruill said.
Kemp said he is excited to start working on the project, which he thinks will benefit every entity.
“We’re really excited about the project. We’re thankful to Mississippi State and Oktibbeha County for partnering with us on this project that we think will be an asset to all three entities,” Kemp said. “We continue to try to find ways to expand not only our vehicular transportation network, but also our alternative transportation network, and this is doing exactly that. This not only provides a functional benefit for people who are walking to class or walking to work, but also serves as a recreation and amenity to our community by providing opportunities for exercise and opportunities to walk to large events and destinations. The many benefits of that makes this such an exciting and worthwhile project.”