Lauderdale County officials are hoping to get a head start on future bridge projects by getting some of the early environmental studies and design work out of the way.

In a work session Thursday, Richmond Alexander of Engineering Plus, the company that serves as the county engineer, said working ahead will put the county in a good position to move forward once the funding is available.

Counties have several pots of funding to draw from when working on infrastructure projects, including Local System Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (LSBP), State Aid Program (SAP), use tax and the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund (ERBR).

Use tax funds fluctuate as the county receives money allocated to it by the Mississippi Department of Revenue, and ERBR funding is appropriated by the legislature. LSBP and SAP funding, however, is allocated to counties by board term, which is every four years.

Additionally, LSBP funding can only be used on bridges on the county’s local road system, meaning no state highways or interstate work, and SAP funds can only be used on roads in the state aid road network.

Although Lauderdale County has already exhausted its LSBP and SAP funding for this board term, Alexander said the county can move forward with getting some of the early work done with minimal risk.

“If a new board comes in and doesn’t want to do these, you’re basically out the environmental and some of the design work,” he said.

If a new board chooses not to pursue the bridge projects, which supervisors said is highly unlikely, the loss would be relatively small. Alexander said it may cost of a few thousand dollars.

This year, Alexander said, the county will also have an additional pool of money to use. The state has announced it will create a new fund called the State Aid Bridge Program, or SABP, he said, which it plans to fund with an initial $80 million from the state’s portion of use tax funds.

Where as SAP funding can be used on both state bridges and roads, SABP funds will be limited to only bridges, Alexander said.

“You’ve still got your pot of money that’s under the state aid program that can be used for roads or bridges,” he said.

After consulting with Road Manager Rush Mayatt, Alexander said the bridges he proposes for LSBP funding are on Richard Johnson and Snowden roads, which are both closed, and a low-weight posted bridge on Old Highway 39 near Stennis Drive.

For SABP funding, Alexander said his proposal is for the county to address bridges on Sand Flat and Valley roads as well as old 8th Street.

In addition to those programs, Alexander told supervisors there could be an additional round of projects selected under the ERBR program. Lauderdale County was awarded $1.1 million in ERBR funding last year to replace a bridge on Dale Drive. That project, which was one of three the county submitted for consideration, is currently out for bid.

Alexander said he understood no additional projects can be submitted, but the Mississippi Department of Transportation, which manages the ERBR program, is expected to go back and fund additional projects that were previously passed over.

In addition to Dale Drive, the county also submitted bridge projects on Pine Springs and Zero roads. Both projects have been started, but neither has reached the final design stage.

If either project is selected, Alexander said the county will roll it over to ERBR funding and use the money previously allocated for the work on other projects.

Other projects throughout the county are also moving ahead, including:

•A bridge replacement on Byrd-Doerner Road, which is expected to reopen sometime next week;

•A bridge replacement on Wildcat Road, which is out for bid;

•A project to replace two bridges on Lizelia Road, which is in the process or relocating utilities and finalizing right of way acquisitions;

• Another two-bridge project on Pine Springs, which is also in the relocating utilities stage; and,

• A paving package of roads in and around State Boulevard extension, which is being advertised for bids.