After concluding that the timber bridges of Mississippi had not been properly inspected, the Federal Highway Administration ordered an extensive round to inspect bridges. In 2018, and 2019, the federal agency ordered a re-inspection. The majority of closures in the last year have been due to this federally mandated inspection. According to the Office of State Aid Road Construction, 526 bridges owned locally are currently closed. The vast majority of these are timber bridges that were closed in the last year. According to the Office of State Aid Road Construction, approximately 1,533 timber-substructured bridges were inspected by consultants in the current fiscal year. Consultants recommended closing 409 bridges, which is 29 percent of the ones that were already being inspected. However, the consultants will still need to inspect more that half of the state’s timber structures. The federal mandate requires that the consultants inspect an additional 1,650 timber bridges between October 2018 and February 2019. In an interview with Mississippi Today earlier this month, Derrick Surrette, executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors stated that “that closed number could very possibly have doubled or more by this time next year.” Governor. Phil Bryant issued an unprecedented emergency declaration in April, requiring nearly 100 bridges to be closed across the state to comply with the federal mandate. It is possible that a bridge is closed near you. If you find it, please show us. Many state officials at the county and city level are looking for additional funds to repair or reopen closed bridges. These funds are often not available in many cases. Others are contemplating whether to borrow money, or increase taxes at the local level. Legislative leaders are also considering sending additional state money to local governments. This idea has been the subject of intense debate over the past weeks. The 2018 legislative session ended before many of the bridge closings. House Speaker Philip Gunn, and Lt. Governor. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn fought publicly over how much state money should be shared with local governments to pay for bridges they own. Gunn was in favor of giving local governments additional funding without strings attached. Reeves wanted counties and cities to match state dollars with their newly spent dollars. Reeves spokeswoman Laura Hipp said that there was concern among senators who spent local and state tax dollars efficiently repairing bridges. This indicates Reeves’ fear of sharing state money. Gunn called for a tax swap. This would involve phasing out the 4 per cent income tax bracket over four year, which generates approximately $160 million in revenue, as well as increasing the fuel tax by 2 cents every year for four years. The current gas tax, which is 18.4 cents per gallon, would rise 8 cents after the phase-in period. Reeves has opposed any attempts to increase the gas tax. Some state supervisors are relying on federal or state funding for their work in the poorer and less populated areas. Jesse Amos, Washington County Supervisor, also owns a trucking business. He said that county officials aren’t sure how they will find the money needed to fix all the bridges that are closed and maintain the older ones. Amos stated, “Right now we’re discussing what we can do – selling a few bonds or raising taxes or whatever.” To be completely honest, we will have to wait for the Legislature or federal government to come up with the money. We won’t be able to keep up.” In the meantime, Mississippi Today has been informed by five Mississippi county supervisors that most of their bridges are safe, despite being closed by outside consultants. Surrette stated that while the county engineer had given his approval for the bridge to remain open, another engineer said it should be closed. They have the same degree, professional experience and background. I don’t know which side is right or wrong. But one thing is certain: Engineers are saying different things.” Smith and Jasper county officials took matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit against Gov. Bryant claimed that Bryant’s proclamation exceeded the emergency management powers he was granted. Indicted are the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Public Safety and Transportation departments. The governor responded by blaming county supervisors for failing to properly maintain the bridges. He said that he was just following the recommendations made by independent inspectors who are helping the state meet the federal mandate. Bryant stated that he refused to “sit idly by” and risk the loss of life. “Had counties done what they were supposed to, I wouldn’t have had to exercise my authority which will protect those who elected them.”_x000D