County closes two bridges, citing deficiencies
Two bridges in Oktibbeha County closed immediately Monday after an assessment which showed deficiency ratings below five tons. The two bridges closing are on Sturgis-West Point Road and Moore High Road.
The bridges were inspected by the County Engineer Clyde Pritchard, who called for the immediate closure of both bridges.
District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller said Pritchard will be responsible for providing bids to the supervisors, so bridge replacements can move forward immediately.
Miller told the SDN she is not certain how long the bridge work will last. However, Miller said because these bridges were already approved for repairs by the board, the county is one step ahead of fixing the problem.
Miller said she understands the importance of rapid repairs, so the board will move as quickly as it can.
“I’m hoping that the wait for the citizens will only be about a month long,” Miller said. “But it could possibly be longer.”
Miller said the money for the replacement of the bridges is supplied from the state budget.
However, she said the county will repair as many bridges as possible with allowed funds.
Due to state budget cuts, the county can’t focus on all repairs.
Miller said the state received a list of bridges in need of inspection from each county and closed a total of 50 bridges statewide for similar reasons.