A new set of Federal Highway Administration recommended standards will give a first look to 600 of the 1,600 bridges under review. “There were quite a few bridges that were closed during this cycle. But that was to be expected. Harry Lee James, state aid engineer at the Office of State Aid Road Construction said that 600 of them are being looked into in depth. “Anything that could cause concern, that may pose a public safety problem, we’d prefer to err on one side than trying to keep them open,” Harry Lee James, the state aid engineer with the Office of State Aid Road Construction, said. These 1,600 bridges account for roughly half the total timber bridges in the state. Governor Phil Bryant ordered bridge closures around the state earlier this year. After the Federal Highway Administration stated that many timber bridges were unsafe and had not been properly inspected, Phil Bryant ordered the closure of bridges throughout the state. Just over a quarter of the 1,533 bridges that had been inspected by consultants were recommended to be closed, which would mean closing 409 of them. The total number of bridge closures has risen to 542 since April when the governor declared a state of emergency. It now stands at 509. Washington County has 31 bridge closures, while Wilkinson has 28.6.
James stated that the latest round of inspections which began in September had resulted in 78 additional closures. However, some of these have been reopened. He stated that the current inspections would continue into March. James pointed out one bridge that had been reopened and then closed again. He said that he believes some vehicles are not complying with the recommended bridge load limits. He said that he still has concerns about school buses crossing bridges when they open again. They often weigh more than the recommended load for the bridge. However, there is only so much that we can do. It’s like the speed limit. You either obey it or not.” Bryant named James State Aid Engineer with State Aid in July to replace Carey Webb, who had held the position for 29 year. The Legislature passed several bills in August to provide funding for infrastructure projects through state and local funds. $250 million was allocated by lawmakers to bridge and emergency road repairs. The deadline to apply for bridge repairs is December 14th. These funds will be prioritized in cases where safety, economic viability, or mobility are affected by bridge defects. In January, the Mississippi Transportation Commission will decide which projects it approves. The counties of Jones and Bolivar have experienced the greatest decreases in bridges since the closures began with 16 and 13 closings respectively. Clarke and Lafayette counties saw the greatest increases with 10 and 9 closures, respectively. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association reports that 11.8 percent Mississippi’s bridges have structural deficiencies, ranking them 12th in the nation.