After years of dealing with the Fentress-Panhandle bridge, the board is moving forward with a contractor and are awaiting their next steps from the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Transportation Commissioners.
Friday, the board opened bids on the Fentress-Panhandle bridge. The bridge is 0.226 miles of road and is near the Gladney Road intersection.
Saturday, at the political rally Supervisor John Shumaker told those in attendance that Fentress-Panhandle Road is a State Aid Road. And he was sitting at his barn the morning state bridge inspectors told him to close it.
“They told me to close it now. And what could I do? I had to close it. So, I had to come up with road closure signs and barriers,” he said.
But the barriers didn’t keep people from crossing the bridge at first. And more measures had to be taken to keep people off the bridge.
Shumaker said they’ve had the money for the bridge sitting for a year, but they couldn’t move until the state told them to. He also told those in attendance the cost of materials played a major part.
“When the bridge first closed, it took over $800,000 to repair. We just let that bridge and do you wanna know the cost? $1.9 million,” Shumaker said.
Friday, County Engineer Marty Crowder said the board applied for funding for the bridge in 2021. He said after working to move utility lines, waiting for approval for MDOT, the county had done all they could, and the ball was in their court.
And finally, bids could be taken. But work won’t start as soon as many think.
Joe McGee Construction’s bid came in a little over eight percent more than Crowder’s estimate and the county may have to come up with $54,000 to cover engineering fees for the bridge.
“That’s alright. We’ll come up with the money somehow,” Shumaker said. “I need that bridge open.”
Crowder said the fees may be able to be pulled from leftover statewide State Aid funds and if that was the case, the county wouldn’t have to come up with the funding for the bridge.
“We’ll see how it plays out,” he said.
Crowder said there’s paperwork he now has to do and after that MDOT had to take the paperwork before the Transportation Commission then they can officially award Joe McGee Construction the contract.
“Work should begin around August or September,” Crowder said.
