Kemp: Newton County bridges aren't as bad as state officials say

By By William F. West / community editor
Nov. 23, 2002
NEWTON Jimmy Kemp, Newton County's consulting engineer, said the county's most deficient bridges are not as dangerous as reports issued by state officials claim.
Brooks Miller, the Mississippi Department of Transportation State Aid engineer, recently sent a letter to officials in all 82 counties reminding them of bridges that should be closed.
Kemp said his office had a more updated list than the state's documentation. Here's the status of the following Newton County bridges cited by the state for closure:
Pine Bluff Road bridge over Dunnagin Creek. The bridge was replaced earlier this year with a new one ordered by the Newton County Board of Supervisors.
Mapp Road bridge over a branch of Turkey Creek. The bridge was removed. A drainage pipe was placed in the creek bed, fill dirt was added and a road was built on top of the dirt.
Hopewell Road Relief bridge over Tallashua Creek. The bridge is posted as being closed and is scheduled to be replaced. A time frame for the replacement was unavailable.
Willoughby Road bridge over Little Rock Creek. The bridge was replaced with a concrete box bridge and has been reopened to traffic.
Thanks to the help of State Aid and a second state bridge program, Kemp said, Newton County has built or is constructing 19 bridges. He said a few more bridge replacement projects also await funding.