- The City of Jackson hopes a two-year, multimillion dollar overhaul of MLK Drive's streetscape will make the corridor safer and more attractive to businesses and residents.
- Some neighbors question the need for the project, others are enthusiastic.
- The project got off to a rocky start when neighbors objected to having to pay for part of it through special assessments.
- The assessments were canceled after neighbors petitioned the City, and the project is being funded by the City and a $6.7 million federal grant from the Department of Transportation.
- WATCH THE VIDEO for details and comments about the project.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I was here on Jackson's South Side Monday to watch the City break ground on a makeover of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive's streetscape — with a warning to South-bound drivers to seek alternatives between Morrell and High Street — phase one of the project.
While some have questioned the need for the makeover, others are enthusiastic.
"A good thing. Absolutely," says Tylisha McKenney's about the overhaul of MLK Drive from Morrell to South Street. "It just needs to be done."
The multimillion dollar project got off to a rocky start last year when the City sent notices to neighbors and businesses on MLK Drive that they'd have to help pay for it.
But after those neighbors petitioned against that plan, the City later canceled those assessments. Now the work is being funded by the federal and city governments — with no special assessments on local properties.
"That part of our city has been home to more disinvestment than reinvestment, and I think that's why this project is so meaningful to the City," says City Manager Jonathan Greene.
The plan is to get rid of the center turn lane, with so-called "bump-outs" of curbs and green space. These will narrow the street at crossings and around parking spaces.
The goal, says Greene: "More of a calm traffic, more pedestrian-friendly and pedestrian-oriented environment."
For those concerned about safety, Greene says shrinking the roadway tends to slow down traffic.
McKenney has worked here in the neighborhood more than 20 years.
"It's changed for the better. A lot," she says, and credits the City for its efforts — including improvement grants to local businesses. "They're putting in a good effort….They're making it very beautiful, is what I'm saying. They're brightening up the City and making it look good."
CLICK HERE FOR PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF MLK DRIVE RECONSTRUCTION.
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