Jackson’s director of public works Charles Williams told the city council meeting on Monday, May 24 that it has long been expected to have a multi-use path along Raymond Road. Photo courtesy of the City of Jackson

Young people walking more than a mile between Forest Hill High School at 2607 Raymond Road and the Boys and Girls Club will soon have a multi-use trail to avoid the risk of heavily trafficked Raymond Road.

EJES, Inc. is the proposed contractor to perform the engineering design and easement acquisition services for the project for $ 226,303.60 prior to project execution with 1% sales tax funding .

Ward 4 Councilor and District 66 Representative De’Keither Stamps and Ward 2 Councilor Angelique Lee told the Jackson City Council meeting on Monday, May 24 that the road will protect young people from accidents. “The history (of the demand for) this goes back 20 years,” Stamps said. “And we’ve had several kids who’ve been hit by car crashes when they leave basketball, soccer games, stuff like that, in school programs.

“Parents don’t let their kids walk on Raymond Road, so they can’t go to places and things after school and at all times,” he added.

“This has been a request for a multitude of years, primarily from Councilor (Aaron) Banks and Councilor Stamps,” Public Works Director Charles Williams said at the meeting. “It is an indispensable path for children.” He said the design phase will be complete in a few months and the total cost of the project is “just over $ 1 million.”

“If we don’t have to get a grip, we’ll certainly go a lot faster. But if we need to acquire right-of-way, it will take a long time depending on who needs it. get the easement, ”he added.

Ward 6 council chairman and councilor Aaron Banks said lighting in the area was also essential. “When we have more traffic, the traffic Stamps talks about most isn’t during the day. It’s after basketball games and after football games,” he said. “And so the lighting is the next thing.”

The ordinance specifies that the multi-use path “will improve the safety of pedestrians and promote the transport of pedestrians and bicycles along Chemin Raymond”.

The project will include concrete sidewalks, modified sidewalks and gutters, a pedestrian control assembly, a sidewalk with ramps that comply with the U.S. Disability Act, a traffic control plan and drainage, a EJES Gulf Regional President Kamal Rasheed said in a May 4 letter to Williams.

“The City wants to improve pedestrian safety and promote cycling in southwest Jackson by building a multi-use trail parallel to Raymond Road,” Williams wrote in a May 5 memorandum to the mayor. “The trail will improve safety for students walking to Forest Hill High School and provide a multi-use trail for residents of an area where there are no pedestrian or cycling facilities.

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba said neighborhood associations in the area have also requested the path. “It was a real fight in front of the commission,” he said. “It barely passed, but I think it was the result of a good conversation.”

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