Good news for some motorists in the Sunrise community outside Petal: the bridge over Lotts Creek on Davis Road is now open after almost two months of replacement work, opening that section of road as of May 20.
However, work has now proceeded to the other end of Davis Road, where officials have closed the bridge over Dry Prong Creek in order to replace that structure.
“They’re taking the wood pilings out and putting concrete pilings in,” Forrest County District 3 Supervisor Steve Stringer said. “We’re trying to replace all the bridges that have wood pilings.”
Work on the Dry Prong Creek bridge is expected to take approximately a month, depending on the weather. Stringer said detour signs have been placed in the area to point motorists away from the construction.
Although an exact price tag has not been estimated for the bridge replacement, that work is estimated in the range of $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 project.
The Lotts Creek bridge had been closed since late March, when workers replaced the pilings on that bridge and raised the weight load to 80,000 pounds.
“I’m excited that it’s open, and we’ve got a new, safe bridge now,” Stringer said. “For people going that way, it was a little inconvenient when they had to change (their route).”
