Drivers along East County Line Road in Jackson should keep an eye out for orange barrels and be prepared to merge into one lane in places.
A project is underway that will replace sidewalks on East County Line Road from Ridgewood Road at the Murphy Express gas station to Ollie’s discount store.
“They just started in the last week,” said Robert Lee, interim city engineer for the city of Jackson, on June 27.
The project will reconstruct the sidewalks and make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said.
“There was no actual route for someone to cross Ridgewood Court whether you were walking or in a wheelchair,” he said.
Work is currently focused on the stretch of East County Line Road from Ridgewood Court to the Ollie’s discount store. “That’s where they’re putting in forms for the sidewalks,” Lee said.
The work will shift to the area from Murphy’s Express to the Chick-Fil-A at some point.
The city council approved a $1,333,924 contract with Pavecon Ltd. to construct sidewalks in these locations:
- East County Line Road from Ridgewood Road to Ollie’s, which is located in the building that once housed Toys R Us.
- Old Canton Road from Ridgewood Road to Canton Heights Drive.
- Gallatin Street at South Street.
- Lamar Street from Fortification Street to Fairbanks Street.
- Marshall Street at the Webster Street loop that is off State Street.
- President Street from Tombigbee Street to Mississippi Street.
The streets were selected based on the need to address Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies on or adjacent to streets recently resurfaced by the city.
The city initially received funding for adding sidewalks just to the locations on County Line Road, Gallatin, Lamar and Marshall streets but received a second award for President Street and Old Canton Road after another city returned their awarded funds.
Funding for the project is from the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail and research, technology and statistics programs.
