Prentiss County Road Safety Grants Could Total $39 Million

Prentiss County could get millions of federal dollars for Prentiss County road safety improvements. County Engineer Kent Geno told the Board of Supervisors that about $39 million has been earmarked for the county through federal grant programs aimed at safer intersections and roads, the Booneville Banner-Independent reported.

What We Know About the Prentiss County Road Safety Money

Geno, of Cook Coggin Engineers, gave supervisors the update at a recent board meeting. Key points from his report:

• About $39 million has been earmarked for Prentiss County through federal safety programs for intersections and roads.
• The final amount depends on what Congress actually budgets for the program.
• Geno said he hopes it will be a 100 percent grant, which means the county would not have to put up local matching money.

The report did not list which roads or intersections would be first in line, or when work could begin. Federal road safety money usually goes to projects such as better signs and pavement markings, wider shoulders, rumble strips, turn lanes and redesigned intersections on roads with a history of serious crashes.

Why It Matters for a Rural County

Rural roads account for a large share of traffic deaths in Mississippi, and many county roads were never built for today’s traffic and speeds. A grant with no local match would let Prentiss County take on safety work that would be hard to fit into a county road budget. The county kept its tax rate flat this year.

Geno is a Northeast Mississippi Community College alumnus, and the college honored him earlier this year for his engineering career.

Residents who have concerns about a dangerous intersection or stretch of county road can bring them to their district supervisor. Supervisors use that local input to decide which projects to put forward when grant money becomes available.

Because the money depends on future federal budgets, supervisors will have to wait for Congress before the full amount is certain.

Other Business Before Supervisors

At the same meeting, the board:

• Approved setting up a private family cemetery on property owned by Jim Lambert.
• Approved paying Kendrick Towing to bring back a truck that was stolen from District Two and recovered in Arkansas, and paying Bartlett Tire and Lube for storage and towing fees.

In October, the sheriff’s department reported that a county work truck had been stolen from a shed. The supervisors’ report did not say whether the truck recovered in Arkansas is the same vehicle. See our earlier coverage: Prentiss County Burglary: County Work Truck Stolen From Shed.

Also read: Prentiss County Budget Keeps Tax Rate Flat at 65.7 Mills.

Source: Booneville Banner-Independent / Daily Corinthian