It’s been about five months since the Mississippi Department of Transportation began evaluating the intersection of Mike Parra Road and Highway 45, north of Columbus, following a two-vehicle collision Aug. 30 that killed Nicholas Jenkins, 23.
Jenkins was driving east on Mike Parra Road, attempting to cross into the southbound lane of traffic when the left side of his vehicle was struck by a vehicle traveling south on Highway 45. It appeared as though Jenkins could not see the other car as he was pulling onto the highway, Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant previously told The Dispatch. Jenkins was pronounced dead on the scene.
Since then, two online petitions calling for safety improvements at the intersection, including the installation of a traffic signal, have drawn more than 2,000 combined signatures. Despite public outcry – as well as more wrecks at the intersection since August – it remains unclear what changes, if any, will be made at the intersection and when those safety measures might be implemented.
What has been done with the petitions?
The first petition for a traffic light at the intersection was launched Sept. 3, days after Jenkins’ death. Organized by a family acquaintance, it amassed more than 1,700 signatures before it was taken down Jan. 15.
Jenkins’ mother, Melissa Jenkins, started a second petition Jan. 18. As of Monday afternoon, it had garnered more than 500 signatures.
Melissa said she hopes to collect “as many signatures as possible” to raise awareness. While she would like to see a traffic light installed, she said she would also support other safety measures including stop signs or reduced speed limits.
She has sent copies of the petitions, along with formal letters, to MDOT engineers and to local, state and national elected officials requesting a formal traffic study or engineering review, installation of a traffic signal and additional appropriate safety measures.
“I’m going to fight until my very last breath to get this done because Nick’s death can’t be in vain,” she told The Dispatch on Sunday. “He literally was hollering about this intersection the day before. … He was like ‘Somebody’s going to get killed. It has to be the right person that dies there before they’ll do anything.’ And it breaks my heart because unfortunately, he’s got to be the right person, and I have to make him that person.”
What has MDOT done since Jenkins’ fatal crash?
An engineer with MDOT’s highway safety division told The Dispatch on Monday the division has completed a review of crash data for the intersection and has scheduled a meeting for the “immediate future” with staff across multiple divisions.
During that meeting, engineers will review traffic volumes, crash data, site conditions, as-built drawings and other information to determine the most appropriate safety countermeasure to implement.
MDOT did not specify when a final decision would be made, but said in a statement to The Dispatch that “MDOT intends to make a decision on what, if any, corrections can be made as soon as is possible so that work towards design and construction of that countermeasure can begin immediately.”
Since January 2020, MDOT has recorded 29 crashes at the intersection. The Dispatch has reported at least four fatal crashes at the location since 2009. At least three non-fatal accidents have occurred since Nick Jenkins’ death.
MDOT officials did not identify a specific cause for the crash history at the intersections, saying accidents are “often a confluence of a number of different factors.”
MDOT officials said the agency maintains unofficial copies of crash reports statewide to help identify locations in need of safety improvements. However, the agency did not specify which other intersections in Lowndes County have been flagged for safety concerns or how they compare to the Mike Parra Road and Highway 45 intersection.
Why hasn’t a traffic light, or temporary fix been implemented yet?
MDOT officials said site conditions including average daily traffic, number of lanes and sight distance factor into what safety measures are considered at any given location. Potential countermeasures can include traffic signals, roundabouts, restricted crossing U-turns, signage improvements and sight-distance improvements such as tree trimming.
While the petitions call for a traffic signal, MDOT officials said signals do not always improve safety.
“National research shows that traffic signals, particularly unwarranted traffic signals, can actually cause an increase in crashes,” an official with MDOT’s Highway Safety Division wrote in an email to The Dispatch. “While traffic signals are certainly a useful tool in the toolbox for appropriate locations, MDOT typically utilizes signals where operational performance requires it and not as a standard countermeasure to a safety concern.”
MDOT officials said the agency will consider all possible countermeasures before making a final determination.
Dunn said the intersection’s configuration, a five-lane, non-divided highway, makes temporary safety measures difficult to implement compared to an intersection like Longview Road and Highway 25 in Oktibbeha County, where temporary measures were installed following a series of crashes, including a 2022 school bus rollover. That intersection, a four-lane divided highway, received a temporary restricted crossing in May 2023.
“The difference is at Mike Parra Road, it’s a five lane non-divided highway, and so we can’t easily implement an RCUT to prevent traffic from crossing as we would a four lane,” Dunn told The Dispatch on Friday. “So that’s why we’re … nationwide looking at some other options at what’s being used around the country for a five-lane intersection where there have been accidents.”
Dunn said he did not know of any short-term measures that could be implemented at a five-lane intersection.
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