Traffic passes through the intersection of Hope and Clay streets Wednesday.(Jon Giffin The Vicksburg Post)

[11/13/03]The driver of a truck that hit a car this morning near Clay and Hope streets said it was a bright sun that blinded him and caused the accident, but improvements planned for next year are expected to reduce wrecks there.

Construction could begin by the first of the year widening both streets and adding turning lanes at the intersection known for being tight.

The wreck around 7:30 might not have been avoided with that work, but city officials say safety there will be improved.

“There will be a lot more room in there, and you won’t feel like you’re going to scrape someone’s mirror,” said City Engineer James “Bubba” Rainer.

This morning, the driver of the pickup was turning left off Baldwin Ferry Road when his truck hit a car turning off Hope Street. No one was injured.

There have been 15 wrecks at Clay and Hope since the first of this year. About 20,000 vehicles pass through the intersection daily, according to a Mississippi Department of Transportation report.

The city is buying property from six businesses along Clay Street for the project. Last week, they closed on the purchase of Big Bucks BBQ Smokehouse, 2900 Clay St., for $250,000.

The building will be torn down and some of the property will go for the widening of Hope Street. The rest of the lot will be exchanged for property along Clay Street that is now part of the Red Carpet Lanes parking lot.

Other businesses that will be affected include the Emmich Building, Holiday Liquors, the former Mutual Finance building and Texaco. Planner Wayne Mansfield said the city is in negotiations with the remaining property owners.

“I’m hoping we can get the acquisitions wrapped up within a month,” Mansfield said.

Rainer said plans are ready for the project and bids can be accepted as soon as the right-of-way need is acquired. He said the project is needed to improve safety at that intersection and has been in the works for nearly five years.

“We just didn’t have any money until now,” Rainer said.

The $1.2 million project is being funded out of the $7.5 million bond issue approved in 2001. It includes mast-arm traffic signals, sidewalks and brick cross-walks.

Plans were almost put on hold again earlier this year when city officials looked to reprioritize spending the bond money. It was put back on the table because the intersection is the first one on Clay Street after leaving the Vicksburg National Park to the downtown area.

The city has spent $2.6 million repaving and improving downtown Washington Street and $5.6 million for urban renewal. Both were funded through the 2001 bond issue.