Big cranes, big job: Columbus Riverwalk bridge repair takes shape

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A big job requires big equipment, and repairing the Columbus Riverwalk Pedestrian Bridge, also known as the Old River Bridge, is one of those big jobs.

The big equipment is beginning to come in. Components for the cranes that will be doing the heavy lifting have been arriving at the Lowndes County Port.

So far, a 110-ton crane and a 210-ton crane have been assembled.

A crane pad will have to be built and barges will have to be set in place before work can begin.

If all goes well, everything should be in place by the first week of October.

“So, it still looks like we’re still a couple of weeks away before people will actually see work on the bridge. Once that begins, depending on the weather and how things go, again they think it will be about a six-month process before the bridge is completed and ready for use again,” said Mayor Keith Gaskin.

Most of the repair costs will be paid for by a settlement with the company that owned the barge that hit the Columbus Riverwalk bridge in 2020.

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