Bridge closed on Pat James Road
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From Staff Reports
Greene County officials have closed another bridge to traffic after inspectors said deficiencies in the bridges support structure were deteriorated to the point of being unsafe for vehicles.
The bridge in question is located between State Line and Sand Hill on Pat James Road. Spanning a section of Griffin Creek, the bridge is on the eastern end of Pat James Road between Wiley Brown Road and Miss. 42.
The Offices of State Aid Road Construction sent a letter to county supervisors and their civil engineering firm on October 10 demanding the bridge be closed. County officials barricaded the bridge Monday afternoon and it is to remain closed until several pilings below the structure can be repaired or replaced in a manner that will pass a second inspection. It is unclear what the timeline for the repairs will be.
Jason Lamb, an engineer with The Walker Associates, said the closure will be an inconvenience to residents in the area, but will not cause terribly burdensome detours. Of course, residents traveling from the area where the bridge is located to State Line were already having to detour around the state bridge crossing the Chickasawhay River on Miss. 42. State officials have yet to give an anticipated date for that bridge to be reopened.
County leaders have struggled with multiple bridge closures over the past couple of years. A bridge on Kate James Road is closed indefinitely, while work on two bridges on Piave Plaza Road is set to begin later this month. Those two bridges currently remain open under low weight postings. Freemantown Road has been open to traffic since repairs were completed in January. It had been closed since March 2018.
