County to seek money for bridge inspections

By By Lynette Wilson / staff writer
Nov. 5, 2002
Lauderdale County supervisors voted Monday to seek federal funds to cover expenses for inspecting 51 county bridges that are on a "critical list."
A bridge is placed on a critical list if it has a component that could cause the structure to fail such as rust or splintered wood. A list of the 51 bridges was unavailable.
The board of supervisors' action came two days after a bridge over the Chickasawhay River outside Waynesboro in Wayne County collapsed, killing at least two people.
The bridge issue was placed on the Lauderdale County supervisors' agenda before the Wayne County accident.
Lauderdale County has bridges that date back to the early 1900s, including the Stuckey Bridge that was built in 1901 on Stuckey Bridge Road and the Brunson Bridge that was built in 1905 on Brunson Road.
Workers already plan to repair at least two county bridges, one on Liberty Church Road and another on Causeyville Road.
Ten years ago, Carson said, two county bridges collapsed one on Old Eighth Street Road and one on Lizelia Road.
Engineers with Engineering Plus are responsible for inspecting the county's bridges. The cost to inspect one bridge is about $110.
Terrell Temple, an engineer with Engineering Plus, said the Federal Highway Administration requires that all bridges in the nation be inspected once every two years.
Another reason to place a bridge on the critical list, he said, is if the load limit has been increased. He said inspectors would monitor the bridge to ensure it can handle the increased load.
OLDEST BRIDGES
The five oldest bridges in Lauderdale County were built before the 1920s.
Stuckey Bridge was built in 1901 on Stuckey Bridge Road and is the oldest bridge.
The Brunson Bridge was built in 1905 on Brunson Road.
Two bridges on Old Highway 80 and one on Mosley Crossing Road were built in 1915.