Traveling through Marcus Bottom could soon be much safer for pedestrians following action by the Warren County Board of Supervisors and the Vicksburg Board of Aldermen to support the Halls Ferry Road Through Historic Marcus Bottom Safety Improvements Project.

The county project is funded by a $398,570 federal Transportation Alternatives Program, or TAP, grant administered by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

The city and county approved an interlocal agreement supporting the plan; the city approved it Oct. 25 and the county Monday. Under the agreement, the city will maintain the improvements in the area after construction. The interlocal agreement was necessary because the county project involves a city street.

Warren County Engineer Keith O’Keefe said the project involves the construction of “pedestrian-related improvements” in Marcus Bottom.

“We’re going to put in some ADA (Americans with Disability Act) facilities; some curb tracks, some pedestrian crossings and some pedestrian striping as well as improve the landscaping along that section of Halls Ferry Road,” O’Keefe said. “What we’ll do is put in pedestrian ramps at the curbs at the intersections so we can better accommodate pedestrians under ADA regulations.”

O’Keefe said he anticipates the project going out for bid in late spring.

“We’re looking forward to doing the project and getting it done,” he said.

District 3 Supervisor Shawn Jackson, who represents the area on the Board of Supervisors, called the TAPS grant a blessing for the city.

“While it (the project) is located in Marcus Bottom, it allows probably one of the busiest places in the city of Vicksburg to get much-needed traffic and safety improvements work,” she said. “It’s probably the only place in the city where you’ve got foot, bicycle, wheelchair, automobile and different types of traffic coming together in one place.

“That section of Halls Ferry is one of the most traveled areas of town and there is virtually no one in the county who doesn’t travel through that area,” she said. “We’re looking forward to making it safer for all involved in Warren County, including the City of Vicksburg, plus it lays the foundation for doing future work in historic Marcus Bottom.”