Bank of Holly Springs

Drivers ignoring speed limits

With increased traffic on north/south county roads, some residents are complaining about drivers ignoring speed limits and the difficulty getting out into the road in some high traffic areas.

Eddie Dixon, District 2 supervisor, said traffic lights are needed at Red Banks Road and Cayce Road and Highway 302.

Some church congregations are having trouble getting out into the highway, Dixon said.

"Signs are not adequate near churches," Dixon said. "There are wrecks. Something needs to be done."

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III said caution signs are needed at intersections and fatality studies are needed (at Highways 302 and 72 intersections)."

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said speed signs are needed on Red Banks Road.

"Traffic has picked up since factories have opened," he said.

"Speed signs are there," Dixon said. "They are just ignoring them."

Zinn said residents at Moore Plantation are also complaining about speeding. He wondered if speed breakers could be used.

"You can't put speed breakers," said District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett.

The conversation turned to the design of the Waterford/Bethlehem Bridge where Whaley Road comes in to the Tippah River Bridge area. Flooding is going to continue on the west side of the bridge, said engineer Larry Britt.

Board attorney Kent Smith said he wants to certify the Corps of Engineers has given some right of way so contracts to repair the bridge can be let.

The bridge has been closed for several years waiting for funding.

Britt said a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Corps. The Tippah River Bridge project is a state project but since the Corps is donating easements, the federal regulators come into play. The project has to abide by federal wage rules and other regulations.

The design of the guard rail placements on the approaches are critical to keeping Whaley Road entrance open, Britt said.

"It takes nothing to flood it," said Bennett. "It's needed for people to get to their farmlands."

The board passed a motion to hire Britt as engineer for a Wingo Road upgrade from I269 intersection on back to Cayce Road. The upgrade will be built to 120,000-pound weight specifications.

In workforce matters, Justin Hall, executive director of the Marshall County Industrial Development Authority, said the Workforce Training Center may be ready to open in March. Some delay is getting internet access to the center.

Jim Robinson, who lives on Rabbit Ridge Road, asked the board for a turn lane at Red Banks Road so traffic can make entrance to the busy thoroughfare. He also asked supervisors to rename Rabbit Ridge Road to Robinson Ridge Road in honor of the families living on the road.

As for getting entry to Red Banks Road, Robinson said, "It's just a bad accident waiting to happen."

Zoning director Ken Jones presented a preliminary subdivision plan for a 49-lot subdivision proposed by John Porter.

The proposed subdivision would have smaller .75-acre lots. They are located in an RE zone and city water and sewer will be supplied so there is no need for larger lots of 1.5 acres that would require septic lines.

Holly Springs South Reporter

P.O. Box 278
Holly Springs, MS 38635
PH: (662) 252-4261
FAX: (662) 252-3388
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