Residents visiting the Meridian Activity Center may see construction as the city works to replace a bridge with grant funds.

In a meeting Tuesday, Public Works Director David Hodge told the  council that Meridian had been awarded a grant through the Mississippi Department of Transportation to do the project.

“I’m pleased to announce that MDOT has awarded the City of Meridian a grant to reconstruct Meridian Activity bridge at 24th Street,” he said.

The $669,793 grant, Hodge said, will be used to design and replace the bridge used by residents to access the Meridian Activity Center. The city, he said, will be responsible for bidding out the project and selecting a contractor to do the work.

“The city will contract it,” he said.

Councilwoman Ty Bell Lindsey said the project would go a long way in helping residents get into and out of Meridian Activity Center. Currently, she said, there is only one way in and one way out.

Royal Road

In Tuesday’s meeting, the city council also approved an agreement with Lauderdale County to address another bridge.

Royal Road, Hodge said, is a joint project between the city and county using State Aid funds. The estimated cost of the project is $370,000, but the city is not expected to incur any construction costs.

“It’s being funded 100% by the Mississippi State State Aid,” he said.

The bridge, Hodge said, is located along Royal Road near 39th Avenue where the road crosses Gallagher Creek.

Hodge said he would guess the bridge would be replaced within a year, but the timeline is up to the county. Lauderdale County, he said, will take care of the bridge work, and the city will come in to pave when the new bridge is complete.

“As far as the city goes, our responsibility as far as cost goes, once they building the bridge, we’ll pave it,” he said.

The estimated cost to the city for paving, Hodge said, is about $5,000.