County engineer recommends signage, striping and long‑term interchange study for Fire Tower Road at BIES

County engineer Jacqueline Turner presented a final traffic study for Fire Tower Road at the BIES entrance, telling the Harrison County Board of Supervisors the site’s revised layout shortens an entry 'throat' and creates a decision point that causes drivers to stop and occasionally back into the roundabout.

Turner said cameras and traffic counts showed drivers often enter the parking area from two lanes, then hesitate while choosing which internal route to take, which can back up traffic into the roundabout. The consultants recommended near-term steps including clearer advance signage from the interstate, pavement striping (yellow hatching) to channel lanes, and a slotted curb in the parking entry to discourage an immediate left turn that causes waiting and conflict.

"People are coming directly into the parking lot and essentially stopping trying to decide which way to go," Turner said while walking supervisors through the diagrams and proposed striping and curb changes. She recommended county staff meet with BIES property representatives to discuss a slotted curb solution and, if needed, pursue a follow-up study through the Gulf Regional Planning Commission (GRPC) for geometry and right‑of‑way needs to preserve long‑term interchange options.

Turner outlined midterm options if low-cost fixes fail, including closing the north roundabout entrance and adding a traffic signal at the next intersection so northbound drivers would enter at a controlled intersection, and longer-term concepts to combine Laboui Road and Fire Tower Road access as a single interchange. She emphasized the GRPC-funded follow-up study would analyze geometry, lane widths and ramp space to determine what right-of-way should be preserved when new development is permitted.

Supervisors moved and seconded a motion to proceed with the consultant's recommended near-term striping and signage work, engage BIES property owners about slotted curb options, and request GRPC funding for a follow-up geometry study; the motion carried.