County leaders declared earlier this month that the needed mechanical repairs to the unique Satartia bridge are considered an emergency. That declaration will kick the project into gear sooner than later.
Larry Dixon, county engineer, said he recently spoke with state officials who considered the extensive project an emergency, adding that the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors should make the official declaration.
“It is obvious the operation of the bridge is, at this point, impaired,” Dixon said. “We need the board to declare that this is emergency repair work. What that will do is circumvent the normal process of the advertising, the bidding, the letting of it, the awarding of the contract, which could take up two months.”
The county board’s declaration will allow the agreement to begin the necessary repair work to the historic vertical-lift bridge over the Yazoo River. As of now, the mechanics of the bridge are not working properly.
“All this project would be done inside the little house on the side of the bridge,” said Jim Warrington, county road manager. “It won’t affect the traffic until we must let it up and then let it down. We got a lot of barges that come up the Yazoo River. But when the barges do come, we must let it up and it might be up for an hour.”
Supervisor Joseph Thomas Jr. said the fact the repairs can be made without hindering much traffic is beneficial.
“With the bridge already out on one side of Holly Bluff, it would cut those people off with no way in and no way out,” Thomas said. “We need to make sure it remains open.”
The Satartia vertical-life bridge is only one of three movable bridges in the state of Mississippi. The only two other vertical lift bridges in the state are over the Yazoo River in Leflore County and over the Tallahatchie River in Tallahatchie County.
During Monday’s meeting, county leaders then approved a board order that awarded the project contract to C.E.C. Inc. with the funding to be taken out of the Yazoo County State Aid Bridge Program. Dixon said the project costs to repair the Satartia bridge are estimated to be about $199,700.
“The bridge can go up now, but it won’t come down,” added Warrington, on the lift bridge’s current operation. “There is a lot more to the bridge than just this right here. They do an annual bridge inspection, which usually turns out good. The cables are good. The brakes are good. But all these limit switches, and the computers are so far out of date. You can’t even find the parts anymore.”
Another issue with the bridge? Rust, which Dixon said is going to be a problem in the future.
The idea of constructing a new bridge was discussed several years ago. But with a hefty price tag of around $100 million dollars, it never became a reality. But Satartia Mayor Michelle Douglas said the small village would not benefit from a new bridge that would detour away from the town’s hub.
“I am begging you not to detour from us,” she said. “Satartia might as well close if you do that. We are working to bring people back to Satartia.”
Supervisor Willie Wright said even the possibility of a new bridge in that area would happen “long after we are gone.”
On an interesting sidenote, Warrington also shared with the board that it takes about seven hours for river travel from Vicksburg to Yazoo City.
“If they call you from Vicksburg and tell you they are on the way, you don’t have to be in a hurry,” he said, with a smile.
