REKINDLING LOWNDES COUNTY WITH NEW LIGHT
Downtown Columbus could soon look much different from what it is now, due to a $4.5 million project that would add a series of roundabouts along the corridor connecting the downtown area with Highways 82 and 182. The roundabouts are designed to slow down traffic.
The first roundabout of many, located at the intersection of Second and Main Street, is expected to be up and running by the end of this year. The construction started in June. The $900,000 project already received $800,000 from the MDOT and the city will cover the rest.
More roundabouts are also planned at the Island Road as well as Third and Fourth Street intersections, with crosswalks added to each. The current traffic signal at the intersection of Fifth and Main Street will remain as is, due to a larger amount of traffic. The city is seeking funding for the rest of the project.
TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT ALONG MILITARY ROAD
The downtown roundabouts aren’t the only ones Columbus residents will soon be able to see. Two “semi-roundabouts” are under construction near Military Road as part of a $5 million package between the MDOT and Gregory Construction. In semi-roundabouts, drivers are not allowed to take a full circle around the island, instead those who took the wrong exits have to make a u-turn to get back into the circle. The roundabouts will be lit with flashing lights and the road between the two will be reduced to one lane each way.
The package also includes a series of traffic improvements along Eighteenth Avenue from Highway 45 to North Seventh Street, including traffic signal upgrades, ramp improvements and realignments. Traffic lights will be installed at the intersection of the eastbound ramp of Highway 82 and Eighteenth Avenue. Westbound as well as eastbound ramps connecting the road with Highway 82 will be widened.
The two-part project started last summer and is expected to reach completion by May. The recent heavy rainfall may have slowed down the process.
TERRY BROWN AMPHITHEATER
The city of Columbus received $500,000 last December from state lawmakers to pay for the ornamental fence, the front entry wall and the seating at the Terry Brown Amphitheater. So far the city has received a total of $3.7 million of state funding. To complete the amphitheater project, the city may need another $1.5 million to $2 million from other sources to pay for the interior designs, Mayor Robert Smith said. Revenue from the recently-restored 2-percent restaurant sales tax, which brings an annual $400,000 to the city, may help pay for the project as well.
Located west of the Tombigbee River and across from the Columbus Riverwalk trail, the amphitheater has been a year-long project that’s expected to be open for free events in May, just in time for the Market Street Festival. However, the stage of the amphitheater was underwater due to a mid-February flood, which delayed on-site construction. City officials said the amphitheater suffered no permanent damage and the city will wash off the mud and silt stacked on the stage after the water recedes.
The most recent funding was used to pay for the $309,360 brick wall on the north side of the venue as well as the $86,300 for the fencing facing the river. The construction of the wall and fence started in mid-February.
SIM SCOTT PARK COMMUNITY CENTER
Sim Scott Park, the city’s most used community center, destroyed by the February tornado in 2019, is being rebuilt for its re-opening in early summer. A new pavilion has been built to replace the old one destroyed by the tornado.
The new 9,000-square-foot building, which will include a large room for activities, two classrooms and a senior center, will combine the old community center and the senior center into one.
The city and Lowndes County workers started removing dirt from the site last summer. As of early February, the construction crew has poured 60 percent of the concrete slab. The community center costs about $800,000, which is covered by the city insurance and funding from the Federal Emergency and Management Agency.
LED LIGHTS INSTALLMENT
More than 4,300 street lights in Columbus will be replaced with brighter energy-saving LED lights within the next few months. The installment of new lights and replacement of broken lights began in late January. The first new lights were installed on College Street. They are expected to last about 22 years. The lights come in different levels of brightness, with dimmer lights in residential areas and brighter ones in the downtown district.
The $3.2 million project, which the city issued a 15-year bond to pay for, is expected to save money for the city in the long run. The city bought the lights from the Columbus Lights and Water, which would no longer require the city to pay a maintenance fee. The LED lights are also expected to save the city $33,000 a month on utilities.
CRAWFORD GYM
The Crawford Elementary School gym is undergoing a five-phase renovation and is scheduled to open for public use in May. The roofs and outside walls will be revamped and the renovation of the concession room, lobby, front entrance, restrooms and the basketball court will follow. Aluminum bleachers will be put in place instead of the old wooden ones and some of the lights above the old balcony, which will be torn down during the renovation, will be replaced with the same ones the county installed two years ago.
The county received $350,000 in early January as part of a bond package the state Legislature approved last year. The renovation is estimated to cost $300,000.
STORY BY STELLA YU
PHOTOS BY DEANNA ROBINSON
