Living just down the road from where Mike Parra Road meets Highway 45, Nicholas “Nick” Jenkins always talked about how dangerous the intersection is.
“Nick was always hollering about that intersection and was talking about all the wrecks,” Melissa Jenkins, Nicholas’ mother, told The Dispatch on Thursday. “And (how) the right person hadn’t died there yet for a light to be put in, and he wanted a light put in.”
Nicholas, 23, died at that intersection Aug. 30 in a two-vehicle collision.
Since then, the Jenkins family has seen an outpouring of support on social media from other community members who share concern about the intersection and the desire to see a traffic light installed there.
A Change.org petition calling for a traffic light has amassed more than 900 signatures, as of press time on Friday, and a slew of comments, many from people sharing their own stories of accidents at the intersection. The Dispatch has reported at least four fatal accidents there since 2009.
“I’m only asking for people to (help raise awareness), to get this light in,” Melissa Jenkins said. “There’s been several wrecks, and I know of (at least) one other death that happened there a couple years ago.”
Matt Dunn, District 1 engineer for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, said he’s aware of the concerns about the intersection, having seen the petition and heard from Jenkins family members this week.
Dunn told The Dispatch the department’s safety division has already started evaluating the intersection to determine what can be implemented to deter future accidents.
“We are looking at all the possible things we could do there to make it a safer intersection,” he said. “We’ll evaluate those and come up with a solution.”
A ‘small but significant change’
The petition implores signees to urge local government officials and state traffic authorities to install a traffic light at the intersection, calling the solution a “small but significant change” that can statistically improve safety.
Of the 12,036 fatalities involving an intersection that occurred in 2022, the Federal Highway Administration reported about 65% happened at an intersection with no traffic signal.
“This intersection has posed risks for far too long, with its lack of adequate traffic control leading to dangerous driving conditions. A traffic light at this location is not just necessary; it is imperative,” the petition reads. “Installing a traffic light would regulate the chaotic flow and bring a much-needed sense of safety and order to the area, preventing further tragedies.”
District 2 Supervisor Trip Hairston, whose district includes the intersection, agrees. He told The Dispatch he’s heard of several accidents happening at the intersection and would support the addition of a traffic light or another accident deterrent.
“Whatever (can be done) for public safety, I think needs to be done,” he said. “Obviously, if you’ve got a high-accident area, it’s one of those things that certainly needs to be looked at with clear eyes. I hate the fact that it takes that many accidents to take a serious look at it, but sometimes that’s what it takes.”
Because it falls on a state highway, Hairston said the county has no control in whether a light is installed at the intersection. The responsibility is on MDOT, he said, but that process can take time.
“Getting a traffic signal put on a state highway, it’s very hard to do,” Hairston said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately.”
Evaluation underway
Dunn said the safety division is reviewing the accident history at the intersection to determine what can be implemented to deter future accidents, especially fatal ones.
“Our traffic safety division is evaluating the intersection, looking at accident history and trends,” Dunn said. “Once that happens, then they’ll talk with our engineering division on what the best way to proceed is at this time.”
The information collected by the safety division will inform what kind of solution will best serve the intersection, Dunn said, whether it be a traffic light or another alternative like a roundabout.
“There’s multiple guidelines that we look at on the use of a signal at an intersection,” Dunn said. “What we don’t want to do is put the wrong … treatment in the intersection. … We are looking at all the possible things we could do there to make it a safer intersection. We’ll evaluate those and come up with a solution.”
Currently, there’s not a timeframe for how long that may take, Dunn said. Along with reviewing accident history, the team will have to observe and count vehicles to determine trends, like how often right- and left-hand turns are made and other movements made across the intersection.
“So there’s a lot that goes into looking at … the overall picture for it because there’s a lot of circumstances that come when there is an accident at an intersection,” he said, adding examples like distracted or fast drivers. “… So we have to analyze all the possibilities before we make a decision whether or not to spend in a section like that.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
