When Melissa Jenkins saw another two-vehicle crash Thursday night at the intersection of Highway 45 and Mike Parra Road, she found it “infuriating.”
It’s the same feeling that hits her each time she sees reports of another crash at the intersection, where her son Nicholas “Nick” Jenkins, 23, died in a collision on Aug. 30, 2025.
“It takes me right back,” Melissa said. “… It sets your nerves off, and it really makes it (hard) to get back to a good mind frame.”
The incident Thursday happened at about 8 p.m., and sent six people to the hospital, including four with serious injuries, one of whom was airlifted to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo, Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Bryant Flake wrote in a text to The Dispatch. The cause of the wreck remains under investigation.
That kind of accident is exactly why Melissa Jenkins has advocated to bring new safety measures at the intersection since her son’s death. She was not sure if anything would come from those efforts until earlier this week, when she saw the Mississippi Department of Transportation had announced a new project at the intersection.
A new restricted crossing U-turn, also known as an RCUT, is currently planned for construction at the intersection, MDOT’s website said. An RCUT is an intersection design that eliminates direct left turns and straight crossings from side streets.
Melissa is hopeful to move the project up the department’s scheduled projects list over the next month by garnering support during the public comment period for MDOT’s 2027-2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
“I’m not having his death go in vain,” Melissa said. “… I prayed every single day that we lived over here (that) he (would not) die in a wreck up there, and it happened. … I will fight until my very last breath to get something done up there.”
Developing a plan
Matt Dunn, District 1 engineer for MDOT, said Melissa’s efforts – alongside responses from county and state officials since Nicholas’ death – highlighted the need for a project at the intersection.
From January 2020 to February 2026, MDOT recorded 29 crashes at the intersection. The Dispatch has reported at least four fatal crashes at the location since 2009. At least five non-fatal accidents have occurred since Nick’s death, including the accident Thursday.
Since August, Dunn said a safety committee consisting of MDOT and Federal Highway Administration personnel have discussed potential changes to the intersection.
After measuring the volume of traffic at the intersection, among other aspects, Dunn said the committee determined a traffic signal wouldn’t be a viable option, so it settled on plans for an RCUT.
Rather than crossing straight through the turning lane, the RCUT design would require drivers turning into opposing traffic to make a right turn before making a U-turn – in a designated median opening – into the flow of traffic.
The project will include adding medians to the area, and constructing and striping north and south bound U-turn lanes on the highway to ease travelers turning on to Highway 45 from Mike Parra Road or Gatlin Road.
“Your main traffic on (Highway) 45 is not delayed, but still you’re able to make a safe movement from Mike Parra (Road) to Gatlin (Road) using the RCUT method,” Dunn said.
Dunn said the project is expected to finalize plans and be sent out for bid by the end of 2027 with construction beginning shortly after in 2028.
Speeding up and slowing down
Dunn said there’s potential to expedite the project by a few months depending on feedback during the public comment period, but he expects the timeline to remain close to its current estimate.
“It normally takes a while to design and get those approved, and so I would say probably late 2027, mid-fall 2027 is about the earliest it can let,” he said.
The project will also be the first five-lane RCUT developed in the state, Dunn said, which makes an estimated completion date unclear. Dunn said a four-lane RCUT typically takes about a year to construct.
Trip Hairston, president for the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, whose district includes the intersection, said “it’s about time” something was done by MDOT to address the area.
“From everything that we’ve seen, it’s a dangerous intersection and something should have been done some time ago before all these accidents,” Hairston said. “… Now, you can’t engineer your way out of every accident. I understand that, … but that intersection has proven to be one of if not the most dangerous in Lowndes County.”
Melissa said her goal is to rally Lowndes residents to voice support during the public comment period, which is open until Aug. 4, to potentially expedite the project. In “full support” of that plan, Hairston said he intends to submit a letter of support for implementing the safety measures sooner rather than later.
“You hate to see a young person like that with his life taken away from him so early,” Hairston said. “But the end result is maybe that because of that … there will be other lives saved, and that’s the only silver lining in that cloud.”
In June, Melissa adopted the stretch of highway that includes the intersection with Mike Parra Road as a way to honor Nick’s memory. While she has been encouraged by safety plans progressing, Melissa said she won’t feel satisfied until she sees construction begin in the area.
“I haven’t sat down to even process any of it because I’m waiting for it all to come to fruition before I actually basically give a sigh of relief,” Melissa said. “… And (once it’s done) my son can be at rest because I obviously don’t think he is right now with all this going on, but once everything happens, I feel like the healing will begin.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 31 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
