Area counties are preparing to compete with others from across the state for money from a $250 million state allocation for bridge and road repairs.
Oktibbeha County supervisors have identified 10 bridges for which to request funding from the Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair program. Those bridges are on Old West Point Road, Longview-Adaton Road, Sturgis-West Point Road, Crawford Road, Silver Ridge Road, Morgantown Road, Sherman Road, Harris Road and two on Sun Creek Road.
County Engineer Clyde Pritchard said all of the county’s bridges are inspected every two years, with half inspected one year and the other half inspected the next. Bridges that reach a certain deficiency level are posted and have their weight limits reduced, while some bridges are so deficient they are closed.
He estimated it would take more than $11 million to repair all of the county’s closed and posted bridges.
The county prioritized the bridges for which it will ask for state funding based on the bridge status, the inspection rating, the amount of traffic that crosses the bridge and the expected likelihood of the project being funded, Pritchard said.
“Generally the worst bridges are the ones that, historically, had timber piling, and the timbers have rotted out, so we have to go in and replace the piling,” he said. “Our standard repair is we’ll remove the deck from the bridge, we’ll drive new steel piling, pour a new concrete cap and we’ll replace the deck.”
County supervisors have also approved advertising for bids for work on the county’s two closed bridges, on Self Creek Road and Mt. Olive Road. Pritchard said those bridges are estimated to cost about $60,000 each to repair.
Lowndes County
Lowndes County is reviewing the projects it wants to submit to the program for funding. Lowndes County engineer Bob Calvert said the board of supervisors has authorized a study for it and may make selections at its next meeting.
Calvert said the county is looking at bridge projects on Wolf Road, West Lindsey Perry Road and Canal Road. Supervisors could add others to the list, he said.
“Overall, the county’s in very good shape,” Calvert said. “They don’t have any closed bridges. We do have three projects where the plans have been completed.”
The three projects combined should cost up to $2.5 million, Calvert said.
He added Lowndes County is looking at submitting two road projects for major repairs on Gunshoot Road and Old West Point Road. However, he said the program is “heavily weighted” toward bridge repairs.
The program
Mississippi Department of Transportation Northern District Commissioner Mike Tagert said the competitive Emergency Road and Bridge Repair program is being funded through the state’s gaming tax.
He said the program is a one-time funding allocation for emergency projects, though the Legislature could opt to issue more funding in the future.
Some of the money could go toward state bridges, but Tagert said he expects it will be focused toward city- and county-level projects.
MDOT will review applications, and Tagert said he expects the agency will begin making selections in the coming weeks.
“It’s going to go quick,” Tagert said. “We’re going make a certain group very happy and there are going to be a lot that aren’t because there’s not enough money.”
Pritchard said that the county will have three years to spend whatever funding it gets from MDOT.
“We’ll develop plans and go through all the appropriate processes,” he said. “They’ve essentially given us 36 months to expend the funds. That’ll include your design times, your construction times and completing the projects.”
Pritchard said the projects could be bid individually and Oktibbeha County could have five or six bridge projects being worked on at once.
“It may not take the 36 months to get it done,” he said. “Hopefully not, but that was the Legislature’s way of saying ‘If we’re going to fund this, we want y’all to get on with it and get them fixed.'”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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