The Meridian City Council approved on Tuesday a contract to make repairs to the Okatibbee Creek Bridge on Highway 80.

Council approves contract for bridge

    Almost a year after the Okatibbee Creek Bridge on Highway 80 was closed due to safety concerns from the state, the Meridian City Council has approved a contract to make necessary repairs.    

    The council approved a contract with Joe McGee Construction Co., based out of Lake. According to the city’s public works director, Hugh Smith, the company is anxious to begin work “as soon as possible.” The cost is $49,000.

    “We’re contracting with them to complete repair on the bridge as specified by the  Office of State Aid Road Construction division of MDOT (Mississippi Department of Transportation),” Smith said.

    The bridge was closed March 4, 2014, after mandatory inspections conducted by Volkert Inc., a Mobile, Ala.-based company, deemed it to be in critical condition. According to officials, the Federal Highway Administration mandates that a bridge of the age of the one that spans Okatibbee Creek be inspected every year. The bridge, which was built in 1926, is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

    During the inspection, it was determined that critical components of the bridge had deteriorated beyond the point of continued safe operation.

    “Every component of the bridge acts a key part of supporting the structure. Some time ago, one of the tension members of the bridge was constructed on and it shortened the life of that particular member,” Smith said. “Over time, that member began to deteriorate at a much faster rate than some of the other components, up to the point that it was deemed unsafe.”

    Smith said the Office of State Aid Road Construction requested that the bridge be closed.

    He noted that several factors had an impact on why it has taken so long to make the necessary repairs.

    Initially, city officials had discussed replacing the bridge through an MDA grant. The estimated cost was $1 million.

    “Funds were unavailable at the time. The city decided to pursue another project, which we were unsuccessful in acquiring,” Smith said. “After changing a course of action, we had to come up with a different game plan that had to be approved by State Aid, which took quite some time. And then the process of whether or not it would be considered an emergency took a while.”

    Upon signed contract, Smith said repairs would begin immediately and are expected to take a few weeks.

    “The scheduled time frame is two weeks. The contract has a 45-day completion clause, but the scheduled time frame is two weeks,” he said.

    Smith described the repairs as “a complicated, yet simple solution.”

    “The repair method is to go in and attach a tension cable to support that section,” he said.

    After the meeting, the council entered into executive session. According to CAO Mike McGrevey, the council voted on a potential economic development program.

    “It was a resolution of intent to grant ad valorem tax exemption for a potential economic development program – if they do everything they are supposed to, make application and it’s approved by the state,” McGrevey said. “It’s a company that deals in warehousing and distribution.”

    McGrevey said he was unable to provide further information on the program.