JCJC holds ribbon cutting-new MDOT TAP grant-funded Pedestrian Plaza

This is a press release from JCJC.

ELLISVILLE, Miss. - More than $416,000 in a Transportation Alternative Project or TAP grant was officially awarded to JCJC in 2015, the pedestrian plaza and eventually the pedestrian corridor is a campus improvement and safety project in the heart of the campus, where there is a lot of foot-traffic. R.J. Construction of Laurel was awarded the bid with engineers from Neel-Schaffer handling the design. The second-phase of the project began in August, 2017, extending the pavers down Dan Jones Memorial Drive, behind the Terrell Tisdale Library. An expected third-phase will extend the corridor south on Dan Jones Memorial Drive and end before McClellan Hall.

The Pedestrian Plaza consists of brick pavers, seat walls, scored concrete, landscape improvements and removable bollards. Another important aspect of this project is the installation of the JCJC logo at ground level in the center of the proposed pedestrian plaza. The existing campus locator sign at the intersection of College Drive and Dan Jones Memorial Drive is still intact.

Prior to these improvements, this highly traveled area by both cars and pedestrian was barricaded to protect pedestrians, from 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Permanently closing the street to provide for the safe travels of pedestrians on campus provides an esthetically nice and safe area on campus.

The Pedestrian Corridor includes the area in front of C.L. Neill Student Center, which includes the cafeteria and bookstore. Construction began in August, 2016, after construction bids were prepared and awarded.

The project is 80 percent funded or $416,399.04, by the MDOT’s federal TAP budget, and 20 percent funded, or 104,099.76, by JCJC for a total of $520,498.80 for the pedestrian corridor project.