By RUSSELL TURNER
Herald Editor
The Mississippi Department of Transportation anticipates the repair project on the Chickasawhay River on Miss. 42 at State Line will be completed this fall, but expects the bridge to be reopened for traffic by mid-summer.
The bridge was closed unexpectedly this past February when heavy rains and flooding eroded sediment around bridge supports and the embankment. A spokesperson with MDOT said the damage required the closing of the bridge and adjustments had to be made to the existing contracts to include the new repairs needed.
The Greene County Board of Supervisors discussed the bridge closure at their meeting in Leakesville on Tuesday and expressed frustration with the lack of communication and details they are getting from state highway officials. One of their biggest concerns was the lack of adequate signage for a detour around the bridge closure.
Tuesday afternoon a MDOT spokesperson told the Herald that traffic is being rerouted via US 45 and Miss. 63 through Leakesville.
“However, it was not signed due to the large number of signs that would be needed and the relatively short duration and unexpected nature of the closure,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
