Mississippi is replacing three bridges over the Yazoo River due to age and maintenance issues. The $27.9 million project by MDOT will improve safety and efficiency for residents and businesses. Completion set for 2025, with key challenges including constructing drilled shafts and setting structural steel. Workers aiming for strong, long-lasting infrastructure.
MDOT photo
In western Mississippi, crews are replacing three bridges on State Route 16/149 over the Yazoo River Floodway Channels.
In western Mississippi, crews are replacing three bridges on State Route 16/149 over the Yazoo River Floodway Channels. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is overseeing the $27.9 million effort.
"All three bridges were approaching the minimum structure evaluation tolerance from our bridge inspection, with one posted for 23 tons gross for emergency vehicles," said Joel Bellipanni, MDOT District 3 project engineer. "Each bridge was built in 1959 and had come to a point where it was no longer feasible to maintain them."
The channel and the levee system surrounding it were constructed to help alleviate the Yazoo River flood water. It runs from the Yazoo River to the Big Sunflower River. So far, the contractor has completed Bridges A and C and is setting the structural steel for Bridge B.
"These bridges are more than 60 years old and need to be replaced," said Michael Flood, MDOT spokesperson. "Replacing these three bridges will give residents and businesses a safer and more efficient set of bridges to carry loads across SR 16/149 that will last for many decades. This is a big win for Yazoo County and surrounding areas."
According to Flood, construction is expected to be finished in 2025, but that could change.
"This was the anticipated completion date at the start, and there is a lot of time left on this project. We are currently on pace to meet that date, at least to get the road open to traffic by then. Both the contractor and MDOT were able to coordinate with landowners to adjust the phasing of this project and expedite the construction of Bridges A and C.
"We are on schedule to open the road to traffic by the end of 2025, but if the weather proves to be a factor at the end of the year, it could push us into the early construction season of 2026."
To date, Flood said the elements have not been a huge issue for crews.
"There have been surprisingly good working conditions. Working in the Mississippi Delta can be challenging in the winter and spring with flooding and mud, but to this point we have not experienced any major delays due to weather."
Regarding the complete closure of SR 16/149 between W. Leeve Road and Whittington East Levee Road in Yazoo County, northbound traffic is detouring via SR 3 to U.S. 49W north. Southbound traffic is detouring via U.S. 49W south to SR 3 south.
"As with any road closure, a lot of motorists are inconvenienced, several of our employees included," said Bellipanni. "Closing this route helps to provide a safer construction site for our crews and the traveling public, speeds up the time of construction and saves tax dollars."
Key LLC of Madison, Miss., serves as the project's general contractor.
"Key is an experienced and well-respected company that has started to specialize in bigger and more complex bridge construction," said Bellipanni. "It takes bigger equipment and creative engineering to construct bridges of this caliber."
Bellipanni explained that crews have worked nonstop to get the bridges built and open as soon as possible.
"The two smaller bridges took six weeks each to construct, but the massive channel bridge is nearly 1,000 feet long, with two 278-foot spans and one 368-foot span and is taking the most time in this project. The six drilled shafts for the interior bents alone are 180 feet deep and 7 feet in diameter, requiring 250 cubic yards of concrete each."
Bellipanni said building the drilled shafts has proven to be a challenge for workers. Flooding and the unexpected dense sand layer at 140 to 150 ft. deep delayed drilled shaft construction.
"When excavating these shafts, crews were hitting a layer of dense sand that required them to start drilling smaller diameter pilot holes after breaking a few Kelly bars. The current challenge is building a stable work platform for the cranes to set the steel beams spanning the river, which includes a 118-foot drop in span of beams."
Approximately 75 percent of the work is complete.
Tasks already completed include building the substructure of Bridge B.
Workers are setting the 368-ft. span over the Will M. Whittington Auxiliary Channel. Significant work remaining includes the construction of Bridge B superstructure. This includes setting steel beams and pouring the deck.
Bellipanni said to pour approach slabs to Bridge A, the contractor had to construct the backfill at the end walls of the bridge, along with the subsurface drainage system. The rest was forming, tying steel and pouring concrete.
Bridge B was removed as of September 2024. It proved to be a difficult endeavor that involved barges to catch concrete as it was removed and robotic hammers to remove the spans over the channel without putting employees' lives at risk. All foundations had to be removed 3 ft. below the ground line.
The most time-consuming tasks on the project have included constructing the drilled shafts and setting the structural steel for Bridge B. Overall, Bellipanni is encouraged by the progress made and looks forward to completion of the project.
"We take pride in working to provide the best infrastructure for the state of Mississippi. It's hard to describe how it feels to be a part of constructing something that will be used for the next 100 years. With solid construction and thorough inspection, these structures will be safe and reliable to the traveling public and future generations." CEG
Cindy Riley
Birmingham, Ala., native Cindy RIley originally planned on a career in law, but during her sophomore year in college realized journalism was her true calling. A magna cum laude graduate of Samford University, Riley first worked in radio and TV. Named Best News Anchor, Best News Reporter and Best Investigative Reporter by the Associated Press, she interviewed numerous personalities, ranging from Dr. Henry Kissinger and President Bush to Michael Jordan and Captain Kangaroo.
As a print journalist, Riley has covered a variety of topics, including construction, business, health and the arts. In addition to CEG, her work has appeared in special reports for USA Today and the L.A. Times. Other publications have included New South Magazine, Portico, Thicket, Alabama Heritage, B-Metro, Business First and Birmingham Business Journal.
Read more from Cindy Riley here.
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