Mississippi State University wants its students, faculty, staff and the greater Starkville community to know they are actively seeking a solution to the problems that exist with Blackjack Road.
Sid Salter, MSU’s chief communications officer and director, said the university prioritizes safety and wants its students to feel safe when they walk or bike to class. 
“We’ve been wrestling with this problem the last six months,” Salter said.
Despite safety concerns, many students commute daily on foot across Blackjack Road from school to home.
Earlier this month, MSU student Emily Case was struck by a drunk driver crossing the Hardy and Blackjack Road intersection. 
Plans for improving safety on Blackjack Road have been on the university’s radar for some time.
Salter said President Mark Keenum began working earlier this year with Governor Phil Bryant, the Mississippi Development Authority and the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on securing $3 million in funding from the Economic Development Highway fund.
Funds received from the Economic Development Highway fund would then go towards implementing improvements on Hardy Road and Stone Boulevard where they intersect with Blackjack Road. Improvements to these areas would widen the road, add pedestrian crossing signals and improve overall safety. 
Salter said the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors reached out to the university because of issues they have had with funding. 
Safety improvements for Blackjack Road may seem slow in coming, Salter said, but making the changes require the necessary regulatory approvals, permits, and compliance documents all of which take time in acquiring.
Salter also noted the levels of bureaucracy further complicate things from getting accomplished speedily. State appropriations are administered through the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), while state and federal funding are administered through the Mississippi Development Authority.
Orlando Trainer, Oktibbeha County’s District 2 supervisor and board president, said Blackjack Road’s problems have existed for some time, and only continue to grow.
Trainer said the growth in the county is welcome, but the county did not adequately prepare for the rapid growth or the issues which have arisen from it.
Putting a moratorium on apartment construction like the one proposed by a Starkville city alderman, Trainer said, sends the wrong message to developers making them hesitant to build in the future. 
“(We) need to take it on ourselves to be more forward thinking,” Trainer said, “and say how can they (developers) make money and it help the county, and (it) not be a burden on the county.”
Trainer said the county could address the base issues of the roadway, but it would do nothing to address safety concerning traffic volume and speed.
“If we want to do something substantial,” Trainer said, “we need to be looking at what we can do that can have a 20 year impact.”
Past attempts of the county in fixing Blackjack Road were initially met with success.
In July 2014, the Oktibbeha County board of supervisors approved a $4.78 million-maximum tax increment financing (TIF) plan. The plan fell apart when one of the three apartment complexes failed to finalize it. 
In April 2015, the board considered a smaller (TIF) from the two confirmed projects but that idea also fell apart and never made it to a vote.
Trainer said the main issue with repairing roads in the county always comes down to funding. Additionally, not enough resources exist for the county to adequately address all the problems the county’s roads have.
He said people call him all the time complaining about their road’s condition which puts more pressure on him and the rest of board of supervisors to do something about them.
Trainer said people do not understand that there is no easy solution existing to fix problems with roads in the county.
The first step towards a course of action, Trainer said, begins with the county’s board of supervisors looking at comparisons between a TIF plan or general obligation bond (GO). Both have their pros and cons. 
TIFs initially begin with developers coming to either a board of aldermen or county board of supervisors. A board then takes the lead role and pays the bond payments. TIFs do pose risks. Defaulting decreases credit rating and spending is limited to things within their districts. TIFs do have some flexibility: they cannot count against the borrower’s debt ratios.
  GOs pose less risk and unlike TIFs can be spent on multiple things in the county across multiple districts. Although GOs do not pose the financial risks of TIFs, borrowers who have reached their debt limit cannot receive them.
Other solutions to fixing Blackjack Road’s problems, Trainer said, will likely require increasing taxes or taking money from another project the county has planned.
Janelle Gagle, the HELiX property manager, said she is excited about the news that improvements will be made to Blackjack Road. 
“We are looking forward to the day that it is completed,” Gagle said, “as we want our residents who attend (and) visit MSU to be able to cross the street with an easier piece of mind, knowing that drivers are more attentive to the fact that pedestrians are crossing the road.”
Gagle advises drivers and pedestrians to be aware at all times while crossing or driving on the road. Eliminating distractions while driving or walking such as, turning off phones, pausing music or removing ear buds can help increase awareness. Pedestrians should also check both directions before crossing while drivers should proceed with caution.
“We have great relationships with both the university and the Greater Development Council, Gagle said, “and know that they are both working diligently for this initiative and they have our full support.”