OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Leaders in north Mississippi say they will ask Gov. Tate Reeves and lawmakers for help improving the safety along state Highway 7, which runs through their communities.

The Oxford Eagle reported that the Coalition for a Safer Seven is made up of county supervisors and mayors of cities in Benton, Grenada, Humphreys, Lafayette, Leflore, Marshall and Yalobusha counties.

The officials wrote in a letter that the coalition intends to request “special and appropriate consideration for additional project funding assistance for Highway 7.”

“The coalition clearly recognizes the fiscal challenges and physical limits at all levels of of government,” the letter said. “But, we also appreciate that multi-jurisdictional efforts along 170 miles of a state highway require coordination, cooperation and funding beyond that of any individual town or county. With our inherent dependence on our state and federal partners, we ask you to join us in this effort to secure additional funding resources to create a ‘Safer Seven.’”

The local officials met at Oxford City Hall early this year with Mississippi northern district Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell.

Improvements are being made along parts of the highway in Lafayette County.