Motorists in the Sunrise community outside of Petal are facing some temporary inconvenience, as members of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors have ordered the closure of a portion of Davis Road in order to replace the bridge that goes over Lotts Creek.
The closure, which began March 19 and stretches from Trussell Road to Sunrise Road.
“It’s just a wood piling bridge that we’re replacing,” Forrest County District 3 Supervisor Steve Stringer said. “It’s just old, and it’s time for it to be repaired, and they’re raising the weight load up to 80,000 pounds.
“Most of the bridges in Forrest County like that were built in the late 1960s.”
Local and emergency traffic will be allowed on the road during the closure; all other traffic must seek an alternate route.
“(Motorists will have to) take the necessary detours,” Stringer said. “It’s already been turned into (the Forrest County Emergency Management Agency), so they know it’s closed, and the schools know it’s closed.
“So people will just need to take those detours.”
The cost of the project is estimated at approximately $400,000, depending on the amount of Riprap – which is rocky material used to strengthen bridge foundations, slopes or shorelines – that will be used in the replacement.
“There won’t be wood pilings under it anymore (once it’s replaced),” Stringer said. “It’ll be concrete.”
Once that bridge project is complete, Davis Road may experience another closure, as officials are expected to then repair/replace the bridge that runs over Dry Prong Creek at the other end of the road. That closure also is expected to last approximately a month.
“That depends on the weather,” Stringer said.
