Jun. 22—TUPELO — In a bid to increase safety along a well-traveled road in Tupelo, city officials have approved the acquisition of a permanent easement to expand the intersection of Walsh and Endville roads.
The Tupelo City Council voted unanimously to approve an order declaring right-of-way improvements necessary for the health and safety of the city and authorized the city and to compensate landowner David Parker for the acquisition of a permanent easement for public land use along the Walsh and Endville roads. The vote followed an extended executive session that covered multiple topics, including property purchases and a confidential settlement with Fulton-based subcontractor Sunbelt Specialties, Inc. for $18,256.
City Attorney Ben Logan said the easement covers about 1,000 square feet of property along the road. The vote, he said, authorized the city to purchase the land for $8,000.
Logan noted it was the only property that needed a permanent easement for the project and that the city and property owner have worked amicably throughout the process.
The project will see the widening of Endville Road from Walsh to Countrywood roads to relieve traffic created in the mornings and afternoons by students and parents of students at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School. There will also be curb and gutter work throughout the area, straightening out the intersection of Walsh and Endville, as well as a turn lane.
Tupelo Public Works Director Chuck Williams said the project was "a long time coming," noting its estimated cost was about $1.1 million. The state also provided the city with $500,000 in bond money during the last legislative session for the project.
Williams said the earliest construction may begin is in late August, adding that the road will not be closed and contractors will give parents and students at the private school priority during the peak hours.
"We are going to try out best not to hold anything up," he said. "It is to slow people down there."
As of Tuesday, the city continues to prepare for the project to go to bid, so there is no set timeline for when construction will begin, Logan said. The next vote on the project will occur either during the council's second July meeting or the first August meeting after the city receives bids from contractors.