Starkville is moving ahead with roughly $1 million in road and pedestrian improvement work after aldermen approved two projects during Tuesday’s meeting.
The board approved a $233,343 bid for a pedestrian path from Nash Street to the new College View development on Mississippi State’s campus and an $835,515 bid for this year’s work in the city’s ongoing street improvement project.
Both items were approved as part of Tuesday’s consent agenda, meaning the aldermen unanimously approved them, and other agreed-upon items, without individual discussion.
After the meeting, City Engineer Edward Kemp told The Dispatch the College View project should be complete by August in time for the opening of College View — a mixed-use commercial and residential development at the site of the former Aiken Village at MSU.
“It will provide a continuous (American with Disabilities Act)-accessible sidewalk along the north side of College View Street,” Kemp said. “It will make a link to provide a continuous path from Nash Street all the way into MSU’s campus.”
During Friday’s work session at City Hall, Kemp said the project will see a 6-foot sidewalk with curb and gutters installed along Nash Street.
He added that the improvement should be especially vital for football weekends, when the College View corridor sees heavy foot traffic.
“Especially during game weekends, that roadway turns into almost a pedestrian thoroughfare,” Kemp said. “From a safety standpoint, we think it would be really beneficial to keep the pedestrians out of the road.”
Road improvement work continues
The city is also moving ahead with the second year of work on a 4-year road improvement project.
Kemp said this year’s work will see about four miles of road paved compared to last year’s five. However, work for this year does not include roughly a mile of work on Lynn Lane, which was completed earlier this year as part of a turn lane improvement project at the Sportsplex and intersection with Industrial Park Road, and Montgomery Street between Lynn Lane and Locksley Way. The Montgomery Street work was completed last year due to a water line break under the road.
This year’s street improvement project includes work along Airport Road, Brandon Road, Broad Street, Canna Avenue, Cherokee Drive, Cotton Row, Fairfield Drive, Gillespie Street, in the Highland Estates, Lafayette Street, Lampkin Street, Louisville Street, Lydia Lane, Mallory Lane, McKee Street, Montgomery Street, Navaho Court, Old West Point Road, Pinewood Drive, Ponderosa Drive, Shadowood Lane, Shawnee Cout, Spring Street and Yellowjacket Drive.
“We try to do an overlay project every year and this is this year’s project,” Kemp said. “We’re doing a little over four miles of a roadway from all different parts of town. The board has made street overlays a priority by doing the $7 million bond funds with a large majority of that going toward street improvements.”
Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said work like the streets improvement project is vital to ensuring Starkville’s infrastructure can continue to hold up as the city grows.
“These are things that we had anticipated and funded with that bond issuance,” Sistrunk said. “We’re very pleased to be getting started with it this year.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.