Mississippi closes more bridges after counties don’t act
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi officials are closing more bridges that county officials haven’t closed after inspectors found them unsafe.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation said Wednesday it is closing 34 bridges, with the majority in Jones, Wayne and Wilkinson counties. Others are in Bolivar, Clarke, Hinds, Holmes, Washington and Yazoo counties.
Federal Highway Administration officials ordered additional inspections of many county-road bridges, focusing on those supported by timber pilings.
Mississippi DOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath cited an April proclamation by Gov. Phil Bryant giving her authority to act. McGrath says the Office of State Aid Road Construction, a separate transportation agency, ordered some bridges closed as early as September.
Federal officials have threatened Mississippi with the loss of about $530 million in federal transportation money if the state doesn’t follow federal bridge guidelines.
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