A growing sinkhole frustrates city leaders and residents
By Brooklyn Joyner
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JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A massive sinkhole near Corner Stone Baptist Church in Jackson has been causing disruptions for nearly four years, prompting local leaders and residents to call for urgent repairs.
Councilman Kenneth Stokes highlighted the dangers posed by the sinkhole, stating, “Someone trying to go to Lanier High School or trying to come to the church, they can end up hurt or dead and killed.”
The sinkhole, located in front of the Rev. PJ Walker Bridge on Doctor Martin Luther King Drive, has become a routine obstacle for drivers.
Pastor Mareck Walker of Cherry Grove Baptist Church has been urging city officials to address the issue.
“It’s not able to be used at all and we need it to be repaired today if it was possible,” Walker said.
The Rev. PJ Walker Bridge is not the only infrastructure in need of repair. Another bridge on Coleman Street has been blocked off for the past three months due to outdated materials, causing inconvenience for residents like Bobby Gross.
“We all use this to get from off Medgar Evers and get to sunset and all that, so without it being fixed, we have to do all that extra driving,” Gross said.
Councilman Stokes has been advocating for improvements in his ward and supports the 1 Percent Sales Tax Commission’s decision to allocate funds for repairing the Rev. PJ Walker Bridge.
“It’s more than just a bridge, it’s more than a sink hole, it’s going to be a bridge repair, plus you have to make sure that the water lines and all that are done,” Stokes said.
Stokes said they have no timeline for when the bridge repair project will begin, but he knows it will cost millions of dollars. He also mentioned that once the Rev. PJ Walker Bridge is repaired, focus will shift to the bridge on Coleman Street.
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