A proposal to turn approximately nine blocks of road in downtown Kosciusko to one-way streets could be finalized next week.
The Board of Alderman are expected to be presented an ordinance, which will begin the project that is part of the Charrette and Museum Project. The one-way road proposal will turn all downtown streets into one-way roads, excluding Huntington, Wells, Monroe and Adams.
“We have talked about trying to get people off the Natchez Trace for 40 or 50 years and this is one way that we can do that,” Mayor Jimmy Cockroft said. “A lot of the stretches of road in the proposal are too narrow, so this will end up making downtown safer for the people of Kosciusko.”
All downtown streets will have a designated travel lane, a bike lane and designated parking lanes.
“When you have marked off designated parking spots, it is safer for everybody,” Cockroft added.
The project will be overseen by JC Cheek Contractors, Inc., who will develop a pavement and curb marking plan at no cost to the city. The plan is to be put in place before the start of school in August.
“The city’s only cost is some paint with all of the work being donated or from city workers,” Cockroft stated. “Currently we can’t pay JC Cheek for anything, due to a conflict with alderman Taylor Casey, whose wife is employed by the company.”
Some concern from citizens have been around the Attala County Fire Department, which currently operates out of a city-owned station on West Jefferson Street. Jefferson Street will become a one-way road moving towards downtown, according to the plan.
“The county fire department will have a protective lane from the station in between the station to Wells Street, which will allow them to still exit both ways on emergency calls,” Cockroft said.” “The city fire and police department as well as the sheriff’s office have been supportive of the project, with the hope that it will make downtown safer.”
The one-way road project is part of massive downtown projects, which include improvements to the Strand Theater, Redbud Springs Park as well as the construction of the Mississippi Native American Museum at the old Leonard’s building and construction of Old Trace Interactive Murals. Other proposed road improvements include the intersection at the Natchez Trace Parkway and Hwy. 35 and Huntington Street along with improvements to South Huntington Street.
“We want to make Kosciusko a destination, but these projects will take some time to complete so that the city does not go further into debt,” Cockroft added. “Hopefully within five to eight years, all of the projects will be completed.”
