The Williamsburg Road bridge project has finally been given a green light.
County Engineer Jeff Dungan advised the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that the county is now in receipt of a memorandum of agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and can advertise for bids.
Dungan said bidding will begin Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. with construction starting mid-September.
At one point the $1.6 million project was going to be paid with federal funds, but the state diverted those funds to do bridge inspections when the statewide bridge crisis began.
Then the two bridges on the road were ordered closed in April 2018 during the statewide crackdown of bridges with deteriorating wooden piles underneath. A bypass created by county crews on the south bridge opened in September 2018.
Replacing the bridges was approved in January as part of $250 million in emergency road and bridge projects by the Legislature during a special session, but receiving the money was delayed because MDOT had also applied for federal funds for the project.
Dungan met with MDOT officials in June, and Executive Director Melinda McGrath said the funding would be provided and a memorandum of agreement would be forthcoming.
The memorandum of agreement sets out that MDOT is to provide the funding for the bridges from one source or another, Dungan said.
The board on Tuesday approved Board President Terry Broome signing the memorandum of agreement and authorizing the solicitation of bids.
Dungan also updated the board on the Harmony Road rebuilding project.
He said a water association is currently moving water lines, which are under the road, and the work on the road by T.L. Wallace Construction should begin next week.
The board approved on Dungan’s recommendation to accept a bid of $75,000 from R & R Sheet Metal to replace the roof on the Maintenance Building at the Marion County BusinessPlex. The project will be paid from the $500,000 appropriated by the state as part of the BP oil spill settlement.
Dungan presented a drawing of redoing the main entrance into the BusinessPlex to make the entranceway bigger and easier to get in and out. Also included in this project is creating a crushed gravel parking lot by the Community Room. The board approved moving forward with the project.
The board also discussed paving the bus routes at the West Marion Schools, which the Legislature earmarked funds for during its 2019 session.
Dungan said the contractors, Warren and Warren Asphalt, are supposed to start Monday.
Supervisor Tony Morgan requested to add a couple more tons of paving to include old KY Lane, West Jackson Street, South Poplar Street and Old Morgantown Road. The total project will cost about $400,000.
The board approved the additional paving.
