And around we go… Hernando roundabout dedicated three months past opening

Photo: Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson cuts the ribbon for the official opening of the Highway 51/Oak Grove Road roundabout intersection. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

Oct 28, 2024 – Drivers in Hernando have had to deal with it since August when school began, but officials Monday dedicated and cut a ribbon to celebrate the new roundabout at Highway 51 and Oak Grove Road.  

The $2.25 million traffic control intersection was completed in five months and opened just before school began at the beginning of August.  The project was done to address rising traffic counts, from 7,500 a day in 2013 to 11,000 daily in 2023.  

Roundabouts have become a preferred alternative for traffic intersections where accidents have become more common. 

Some of the reasons for building roundabouts at high-traffic intersections include reduced accident severity, improved traffic flow, lower long-term maintenance costs, fuel savings and reduced emissions.

Hernando Mayor Chip Johnson mentioned the traffic safety component in his remarks. While the previous intersection setup saw higher numbers of accidents, including fatal crashes, Johnson said the first accident, a fender-bender, in the three months since its opening, took place just minutes before Monday’s ribbon cutting.  

“I want to commend the drivers and citizens of Hernando for being understanding about having to learn something new and learning it quickly,” Johnson said.  

One of the detractors to a roundabout when it was first conceived was Hernando alderman Andrew Miller, who represents the ward where it’s located.  

“I was a vocal person against a roundabout,” Miller said. “But now, after it has come forward, I see the results of it more than I would have ever expected, seeing the flow and traffic. You have to admit it did work in this case.”  

The Oak Grove and Highway 51 intersection used to be the most dangerous one in Hernando, said state Sen. Michael McLendon, a former alderman.

“It was a huge need for our community,” McLendon said. “We let people know these are our issues and this is what can happen.”

McLendon’s remarks included a bit of a history lesson to point out the importance of the intersection. He reflected on the road’s origins as a wooden plank road in 1852, to the Freedom March for Voting Rights of civil rights advocate James Meredith down Highway 51 in 1966 until he was shot south of the intersection.  

Between Conger Park, nearby cemeteries, ball fields, Oak Grove Central Elementary School and the west end area of Hernando, McLendon said the intersection becomes a major crossroads into and through the city, although McLendon said he considers it more of a “coming together.”  

Johnson said the project was funded completely by state funding and the plan to insert a roundabout was suggested by Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) Executive Director Brad White.  

“This was all state dollars with no extra funding,” Johnson noted. “We stayed under budget and didn’t have to add any dollars to it.” 

Working with the school district, Johnson said officials were adamant that the roundabout be completed before school started and the five-month time frame allowed that to happen.  

The mayor added that plans are now underway for another roundabout, funded this time by city funds, being built at the intersection of McIngvale and Holly Springs roads. Johnson said it is another dangerous intersection that originally was proposed in 2012 but funds were not available at the time. 

“Now here we are with the funds, so we’re going to get it done,” Johnson said.