Deadly Harrison County intersection will become roundabout

MDOT crews are working to install a roundabout at the corner of Lamey Bridge Road and Highway 15. The project is aimed at making the intersection safer. This motive is especially important to the family of Nick Scales Sr., a D’Iberville resident who was killed there in June of 2005.
D’Iberville resident Kelsey Bender has to pass through the same intersection her father, Nick Scales Sr., was killed at years ago. “Before we could even get off the interstate, you just see police, a bunch of cars, and my dad was lying on the ground.”
The former airman lost his life in a two vehicle accident at the corner of Lamey Bridge Road and Highway 15 in Harrison County. Kelsey’s father never got a chance to meet his grandson or watch his own son, Zach, graduate from high school. Zach Scales said, “My father was a big role model in my life. He was also a minister at our local church.”
Now, the corner where Scales was killed is being transformed into a roundabout. Crews made the crossway into an all-way stop intersection Wednesday, finally getting the wheels turning on a project to make the Harrison County crossway safer for drivers. “I am very excited. I am very thankful they’re finally doing something. It’s been many accidents that have happened right here,” said Bender.
Crews will be out installing temporary stop signs for motorists traveling in all directions. State transportation officials tell News 25 roundabouts reduce the number of crashes significantly. Mississippi Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom King said, “They’ve studied these roundabouts and they’re certainly safer than the four way stops and the signals.”
If you are driving through this intersection, what you can expect to see are crews out there working, construction, and a little bit of traffic. “It is peoples’ lives in jeopardy and what they’re doing is a great effort,” said King.
An effort especially important to those who have lost loved ones at the intersection. “I’m very thankful they’re finally getting it done. I’m tired of seeing things happen here,” said Bender.
The roundabout is expected to be completed by the end of this summer.