A section of East Gerrard Road will be closed in both directions starting Sunday as workers make emergency repairs to address “a direct threat to public safety.”
The closure stretches from Old West Point Road to Mississippi Highway 12. It will remain closed for three weeks, reopening May 8.
Drivers will have to detour south down Old West Point Road to Mississippi Highway 182 and then north along Mississippi Highway 12, a loop of roughly five miles.
The work will cost $184,000 and be performed by JE Shurden Construction, which was unanimously chosen as the lowest bidder by the board of aldermen Tuesday.
Documents presented to the board called the eroding bank “a direct threat to public safety,” noting that the road was deteriorating over time and had reached the eastbound travel lane, forcing the city to temporarily block it with traffic cones.
“This happened very quickly, we haven’t seen this happening over weeks and weeks,” City Engineer Cody Burnett told the board. “In fact the mayor noticed it first I believe and called me. It happened over a one or two day period adjacent to a rain event. … It’s getting worse over time. We felt it’s dangerous to the traveling public.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
