Although members of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors have been informed of the possible upcoming closure of the East Hardy Street bridge that connects Petal to Hattiesburg over the Leaf River, supervisors are looking at alternatives that may prevent that measure.
Terri Bell, who serves as president of the board of supervisors, said officials have met with contracting companies TL Wallace Construction of Columbia and Shows, Dearman & Waits of Hattiesburg to determine whether one-lane closures would be feasible while work continues on the project – which, when complete, will see a new bridge span over that area. Bell said if not, the worst-case scenario would see the bridge shut down for approximately two months, beginning January 22.
“We want them to be able to do the work on one side of the road while we do the other, and we’re looking at a detour route to utilize some other roads that are on the side,” she said. “Believe me, we are exhausting all options to try to either minimize the closure of the old bridge, or to not close it at all and have a detour that would go directly to the old bridge. But that’s what we’ve been working on since (January 2), when we found out about it.
“I understand that it was known that there would be a closure, but no one had any idea that it was going to be a two-month period. They were expecting a one-to-two-week type enclosure, rather than months. We’re trying to not have to close it – we’re busting our tails to try to make it work.”
The current phase of construction on the project will see the installation of drainage and construction of a median on the existing roadway from the Hattiesburg side of the bridge, which will necessitate the demolition of the existing road to the bridges. If the closure is necessary, officials will distribute information regarding alternate routes, along with beginning and ending dates of that measure.
“We are diligently working on this and trying to minimize the impact for businesses, as well as residents that travel that bridge,” Bell said. “We’re expecting this project to be done in April.
“It’s going to be really gorgeous, and something that everyone is going to be really proud of when we finish it. Forrest County just felt like that would make an exceptional bridge project, with that leading from Hattiesburg and into Petal.”
Also included in the bridge project is a new roadway beginning on East Hardy Street, just east of Lee Street before going over the river just south of the current bridge. The roadway will stop just north of Carterville Road in Petal.
The current East Hardy Street bridge, which is more than 70 years old, sees approximately 10,000 vehicles per day and will remain open to traffic until the new bridge is finished.
The design will feature archways at both ends with the words “Forrest County” on the front.
Officials had originally considered demolishing the current bridge, but after learning that endeavor would cost approximately $1 million, the decision was made to leave the structure and transform it into a pedestrian bridge. The funds for that project will come from the Leaf and Bouie Redevelopment District, which was recently established to take the taxes from each side of the Leaf and Bouie rivers and reinvest them back into those areas of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County.
“We have that district set up down there, and that’s bringing in some revenue for the second or third year,” said David Hogan, former president of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, in a previous story. “So we’ll have some money built up to do some stuff to the old bridge once it’s not in use anymore.
“It’s going to be a destination point. There will be a walking path and some lighting, and we’ll probably paint it during events.”
Petal Mayor Tony Ducker said he will be glad to see both bridges put in use.
“We’ve made some changes on our side, that we’re going to allow for some beautification – not budget-busters, but just some things where we can make our side a little more attractive,” he said. “It’s going to be really great to have the new bridge.
“I know (Hattiesburg Mayor Toby) Barker has a lot of activity going on – construction, sidewalks things of that nature. We’ve got our Matthews Branch (walking path) project that’s going to tie in really nicely to that, so there’s a lot of opportunity for sure to get that end of town looking more presentable.”
Funds for the project came from a 2018 special session of the Mississippi Legislature, when members of that board passed House Bill 1. That bill used an emergency bridge and replacement fund – known as the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund – as part of the Mississippi Modernization Act of 2018. Forrest County’s receipt of the $15.2 million was announced in late January 2019 during a news conference near the site of the bridge.
The East Hardy Street bridge was one of the Forrest County road and bridge projects listed on an emergency list for repairs and one of 163 across Mississippi to receive funding that was channeled through the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The $15.2 million allotted to Forrest County was the largest for any county in the state.
