Construction to replace the bridge over Eubanks Creek in the 300 block of Hawthorn Drive in Jackson is expected to be completed by the end of April.
If that proves to be true, the bridge would have been closed four years to the month.
The bridge was shut down to traffic in April 2018 after the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction directed the city to do so because it had structural issues.
Construction did not start for about three years because of a lack of funds for the project.
Pete Perry, a member of the One Percent Infrastructure Sales Tax Commission, said the commission was told at its March meeting that the construction should be done by the end of April.
Construction was delayed by rain and other issues, he said, noting that the contractor could possibly be fined for the delays in getting the job done.
John Sewell and his family, whose residence is located on Hawthorn Drive next to the creek, and others who lived nearby initially reveled in the bridge closure. The Sewells decorated the “bridge out” barricade with outdoor Christmas lights and used the barricade as a makeshift volleyball net.
When the bridge was torn out in June 2021, Sewell was told it would be a three-month project to replace it, but construction soon stopped.
The project came to a halt after Entergy drained Lake Hico, which is located off West Northside Drive, at the request of the Jackson Public School District. The lake, which was used to provide water for the nearby Rex Brown power plant that is now closed, feeds into Eubanks Creek.
Construction didn’t pick back up until October 2021, he said.
“Considering the current pace of work, I’m not holding out hope that it will be completed any time soon,” Sewell said.
The One Percent Infrastructure Sales Tax Commission is providing $478,353.40 for the bridge replacement, which is estimated to cost $528,000. The city received $50,000 in BP settlement funds to help with the construction.
Stantec Consulting drew the plans for the project, and Hemphill Construction is the project contractor.
Sewell would have preferred that the old bridge be kept in place but limited to pedestrian use. He contends there was no need to replace it because emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances have plenty of ways to reach homes in the neighborhood.
Perry said the bridge had to be replaced and is needed for the neighborhood to have necessary access for emergency vehicles. Residents are always happy to hear about a construction project, he said, but soon tire of it due to the time completion takes, he said.
