Mississippi Closes More Bridges After Counties Don't Act [View all]

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that it is closing 34 local bridges that inspectors found to be unsafe, and the department's executive director Melinda McGrath said county supervisors already should have shut those down.

"This isn't something that's just based off of, you know, 'The bridge looks old.' These bridges have been inspected by professional bridge inspection teams and deemed that they are dangerous to the public," McGrath said at a news conference.

Most of the 34 bridges being closed are in Jones, Wayne and Wilkinson counties. Others are in Bolivar, Clarke, Hinds, Holmes, Washington and Yazoo counties.

Federal Highway Administration officials ordered additional inspections of many county-road bridges, focusing on those supported by timber pilings.

Read more: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/mar/27/mississippi-closes-more-bridges-after-counties-don/