Jackson Jambalaya

I live in Belhaven and I think this is one of the worst ideas to come along. The traffic will be a nightmare, plus... pedestrian friendly? Who wants to walk along Fortification?

Virgi is a "Mrs."......she does good work for Belhaven, by the way.

No one disputes that but I think she is wrong on this one.

Will be a nightmare during peak hours, and a great bother to those living and working on Fortification. The construction mess alone will take forever.

Why can't the street just be paved and move on?

Has to be a gateway to the city. Has to show who we are.

I live a block off of Fortification and have never seen it backed up at rush hour. In fact, it's usually people trying to make a left turn that cause any slowdown at all. Slowing the traffic down and providing a turn lane is a great idea.

It will definitely slow down emergency vehicles, such as the ambulances trying to reach Baptist.

I predict the traffic into the neighborhood will greatly increase with people trying to get through the traffic on a 2-lane. Also, just think how many wrecks will happen in the "turn lane", with opposing traffic going in the middle at the same time.

Then you are blind 9:22. 7:30 in the morning, its pretty heavy and is again in the afternoon around 4:30.

I think it's a great idea. Belhaven is a residential neighborhood, not a major thoroughfare. This may even diminish the divide between Belhaven and the Heights. As it is now, I'm terrified to cross that street.

A divide from Belhaven Heights is not necessarily a bad thing.

My contention is changing the lanes won't make a bit of difference and intentions won't matter. Its going to stay a major thoroughfare as you put it and the traffic will just be more backed up.

Oh, and what about the 18 wheelers? I'm sure they will pass some ordinance saying they can't use Fortification but anyone think they will enforce it?

Next, they will say they are putting a roundabout at Jefferson/Fortification.

I think it will spark more business interest on Fortification - most of the property is zoned C-1A Restricted Commercial. There are quite a few people who walk to McDade's, Kat's Wine, Basil's, etc, so it makes sense to make Fortification more walkable to encourage pedestrian/healthy activity. The downside is the traffic congestion, which will occur during peak hours (until drivers find a faster alternate route).

As for being the gateway to the city, I think that's stretching it a bit - maybe a nice entrance, but more drivers enter by Woodrow Wilson to the north and High Street to the south than they do by Fortification. That being said, both Woodrow Wilson and High Street could use some sprucing up - especially High Street.

According to MDOT, the AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) in 2008 was:
Woodrow Wilson - 24k
Fortification St - 17k
High St - 19k
Pearl St - 14k (one-way)
Pascagoula St - 11k (one-way)

I have to agree with anon @ 11:50. There will be growing pains as people become accustom to the new flow of traffic, but the impact on the neighborhood and the city will be positive in the long run.

I'm a Jackson resident who drives on Fortification daily in peak times. There is no reason that residential neighborhood should be split with a 4-lane thoroughfare when there are better routes anyway. In fact, I tend to think that alot of our problems could be solved with a more pedestrian and bike friendly city.

We should all be working hard to make this a successful project and build a better neighborhood rather than blasting the city for inconveniencing us.

Getting an ambulance to Baptist during construction and after will be a problem, how about it ARM!

+1 2:47.

No one is blasting the city. I just don't think people will find alternate routes and it will be even more congested instead of four lanes that gets people in and out quickly.

Changing the street from a 4-lane that looks like it belongs in Baghdad to a new 2-lane with smooth asphalt should result in a similar flow of traffic.

Reasonable people can (and do) disagree: Kingfish, doesn't your statement, "Traffic on Fortification Street will become a nightmare. Its busy enough during morning and afternoon rush hour. Just wait until its reduced to two lanes. It will be much worse, trust me." imply that drivers are not smart enough to choose another route? Yes, one goal of the changes is to decrease through-traffic on Fortification. Two lanes versus four is intended to be a disincentive for through-traffic. Perhaps I am misinterpreting your comment, but I believe that, as in your reference to drivers who exit I-55 when a wreck occurs, most drivers are not only wise enough but also time-sensitive enough to avoid a slower route, which is what the traffic-calming work seeks to make Fortification.

Although I may disagree with you on this subject, I appreciate so much your obvious commitment to and efforts on this site. I remain your faithful reader!

Fix the road. If they are saying they are going to reduce traffic, they are nuts. That road, once fixed, will fall back to its original disrepair within a few years. Maybe the gas station on the corner will get robbed less (it is the most robbed in the city); beyond that its a pipe dream that traffic will decrease. In fact, it will increase because it now is a fast smooth lane back to the highway to take you comfortably back to the 'burbs.

Sidewalks? For what? To increase hit and runs? Geesh...think folks.

I don't know anyone that wants to walk along Fortification, including myself. Sorry, I'll pass.

Rescue vehicles will just have to get off at High St or Woodrow W. during construction, unless there's a tunnel we don't know about.

I'm really curious to see how long the new pavement and sidewalks will hold up on top of that Yazoo clay.

I seek alternate routes at every opportunity.Have for 40 years. As I prefer not to use inner-city interstates, I explore alternate routes and pay attention to what time of day it is when I drive these routes. At least when there's a situation I have a side street I can take. Some of us do it this way, it's more scenic andless stressful. The time difference is not that great, especially due to interstate snarls, which frequently happen.
I've heard talk of this Fortification thing for a decade. Geez, folks! We can adapt. We did when Jackson's downtown streets became one-way. There were a few initial snags, but now it's no big deal. We adapt all the damn time to changes. Quityerbitchin' and just smile, dammit...lol.

"beyond that its a pipe dream that traffic will decrease"

Pipes dreams are all the eroding city has left. Pipe dreams and end-of-game Hail Mary passes.

It is obvious when people who have no expertise on a subject begin to critique its feasibility. I guess some readers here do actually have something in common with Jackson leadership, whether they like it or not.

Which is the most robbed station, Kaptain? Do you mean the Exxon on the corner of North State and Fortification, or the Shell on the corner of Jefferson and Fortification? The one on the corner of Fortification and Bailey seems to have its share of troubles, for sure.

State Street and Fortification, although the Kangaroo where Robbie Bell and her son held off police is a strong runner-up.

Yes, both offer the prospect of a quick getaway. Thanks for the clarification.

Maybe I'm just misfiring today, having a slow mental health day, but my entire problem with the group wanting to change the current roadway to a smaller roadway is this---we're not talking about just an inner city street; like it or not, fortification is an exit off of the Interstate. There's going to be traffic when its tied to an exit. Wishing that the traffic would go away really doesn't work. Pissing off the drivers who have to travel Fortification really doesn't work.

If they want to repave it and do some beautification stuff, great. Making the roadway smaller when its tied to an Interstate exit is just dumb.

Emergency vehicles also routinely take Fortification to get to the Baptist hospital. I guess those noisy old ambulances aren't welcome on the new street either.

And did I mention that this street is an interstate exit.....

Waah waah. The project reduces the street by a whopping ONE lane. The left lanes are currently used as turn lanes anyway, so the net effect will be zero.

What makes anyone think people will walk on sidewalks? In my part of Belhaven where there are sidewalks we routinely swerve around dog walkers and women pushing baby carriages down the street.

Jackson just cannot make a good common sense decision. What are they gonna do about the utility trucks that block a lane of traffic every week because of the failing infastructure?

All you traffic engineers need to go back and take a refresher course. Find you a good engineering school and enroll. Yes, you can cause traffic flows to increase/decrease based on design. Just because this is an "exit" off the interstate doesn't mean everyone will take it. First, think about where you would be going. If not into Belhaven or the Heights, if you want to go downtown you already take High or Pearl. If you want to get into the Fondren area, you take WW. The only reason to take Fortification is to go to the car dealerships (East) or to Baptist. So, the Baptist traffic will continue, as will the traffic into Bhaven. But anyone else headed downtown will not use the two lane street. HE301 teaches you the basics, and HE302 teaches you how to use design to cause patterns to change.

Admit it KF, once this is complete, you won't take it because you think it is stupid to have it as a two-lane. So you will go to the four land a half mile down I-55. Problem solved. Issue proved.

Move on with the construction - its been in the works for tooo long. ANd for those of you worried about the ambulances to Baptist during construction - don't worry. They can figure it out. Those going to UMC, Methodist, VA all figured out how to work around the Woodrow Wilson reconstruction. They can handle it here as well. (Oh, Lakeland had a reconstruction too a while back. Those poor ambulance drivers figured that one out then too.)

5:18, though I don't agree with your entire post, thanks for bring up the ambulance issue, that for some reason keeps getting thrown up as if a deal breaker on Fortification St construction. You are exactly right, ambulance drivers have negotiated road construction before! Yes, they have! And just as a reminder, ambulances are equipped with sirens and lights designed to aid them through traffic in emergencies. They know how to do their jobs.

The ambulance drivers can handle it. Didn't you see Mother, Jugs, and Speed?

The road sucks. Fix it. Sidewalks will help to raise the crime in the neighborhood and eventually reduce traffic; right in the regard to foot traffic, but still believe if you give folks an easy access to State street without the lights, without the need to slow down, they will take it. I bet the businesses are all for it.

One of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. Having just drove a scant hour ago on it I'm glad I hadn't eaten dinner yet. I was almost bouncing off the road driving the speed limit. It's terrible.

^9:52

One of the most ironic comments I've read on JJ.