Bruce Mayor Rudy Pope is hoping the yield signs entering the Bruce Square will be returned to stop signs in the very near future.
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, earlier this week, changed the stop signs installed by the city more than a year ago to yield signs citing that’s what it calls for on their map.
Bruce Mayor Rudy Pope
The confusion started when Mayor Pope asked MDOT officials painting white lines in the road at the Hwy. 32 and Hwy. 9 intersection signifying a place to stop to do the same at the stop signs entering the square.
Upon closer inspection of their maps, MDOT said the signs are supposed to be yields, not stops.
Mayor Pope explained the city received permission from the state to make the change to stop signs.
MDOT officials informed him they would have to verify that with the state and even if stop signs are approved, the stop signs that were installed were too small and didn’t meet state highway specifications.
MDOT officials then proceeded to change all the stop signs to yields until the matter can be worked out.
“We’re working with them and hope to get this resolved as soon as possible,” Mayor Pope said.
Th city changed the signs to stop signs due to safety concerns. Mayor Pope said the police department verified they had worked more than a dozen accidents from vehicles entering the square from the west and not slowing down as cars are backing out of parking places in front of Jeffery’s.
Mayor Pope said they had similar issues at the other entrances to the square.
“We needed to force cars to stop to improve the safety,” Mayor Pope said.
