Downtown bridge, subway repairs planned

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March 17, 2010

By Jennifer Jacob Brown / jbrown@themeridianstar.com The Meridian Star The Meridian Star Wed Mar 17, 2010, 08:30 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Public Works Director Monty Jackson delivered some good news and some bad news to the city council at their meeting Tuesday.

    The good news: The 26th Avenue subway and the 29th Avenue bridge will both undergo extensive repairs at no cost to the city. The bad news: both will be under construction at the same time.

    Jackson said the Mississippi Department of Transportation determined the time frame for the work, which is funded in full by federal stimulus grants, and the city must accept that time frame in order for the work to take place.

    The repairs to the 26th Avenue subway will begin Monday and will take eight months to complete, Jackson said, while work on the 29th Avenue bridge will begin later and take four months to complete.

    The 26th Avenue repairs will include safety improvements and renovations. Falling concrete will be repaired, the inside of the tunnel will be painted, the road surface will be improved, and new lighting will be installed.

    Jackson said he cannot determine exactly when construction will begin on the 29th Avenue bridge, saying, "That's the contractor's determination."

    He said the contractor cannot begin work until Mississippi Power moves some utilities and some materials they need are built and delivered. He said the work will begin "in as short a time as possible."

    The existing 29th Avenue bridge will be demolished, and a brand new bridge built in its place. Jackson said the new bridge will be wider than the existing one.

    Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry told the council there are hopes that the project timelines will coincide for only two to three months.

    When construction is ongoing, 29th Avenue bridge traffic will be re-routed to Grand Avenue, and 26th Avenue subway traffic will be re-routed to 22nd Avenue.

    City Council President Bobby Smith, Ward 5, noted the catch to what he feels are otherwise desirable projects, saying, "I love getting something done free. I hate closing two bridges at the same time."

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