Fortification Street plans hit bump

From the Clarion Ledger: Plans to redesign Fortification Street will have to wait until the city of Jackson completes a survey of the historic neighborhoods in the downtown area. The survey is the latest setback for a 4-year-old project to rebuild one of the most frequently traveled streets in Jackson. The Federal Highway Administration called for the survey in the spring, after the city turned in its latest environmental report on the project for state and federal review. Until then, the city had been unaware the survey was necessary....The new requirement will delay the earliest possible date for a public hearing on the street's new design from November until February....The city plans to rebuild Fortification Street from I-55 to Mill Street. The downtown stretch from I-55 to State Street will be redesigned to possibly narrow the street from four lanes to two and include sidewalks and greenery. The stretch from State Street to the Mill Street bridge is to be rebuilt but will remain four lanes. Water and sewer lines will be replaced along the entire stretch of the project....The project will cost between $10 million and $12 million....Traffic studies have shown that a two-lane design, with either a median or a center turning lane, would slow but not back up traffic. Fortification Street sees 19,000 drivers a day between I-55 and State Street. Plans do not call for rights of way to be extended....(read the full story here).