Bridge project on Pinehaven Drive nearing an end
By Randy Bell
A new, taller and wider bridge over Bogue Chitto Creek is set to open this spring as crews finish up the $3.9 million project on Pinehaven Drive near the northern city limits.
“The bridge is essentially complete,” says Consulting City Engineer Bill Owen, who notes that workers will be pouring concrete rails, doing roadwork and stabilizing the project area over the next few months.
Work continues on the new Pinehaven Drive bridge over Bogue Chitto Creek.
But their progress will depend on whether Clinton gets a lot of rainy weather during February and March.
“It’s that time of year,” Owen says.
Joe McGee Construction Company of Lake was awarded the contract to tear down the old bridge and replace it. The work has been underway since last April and was expected to take about a year to complete.
Road work remains for a section of Pinehaven Drive leading to the new bridge over Bogue Chitto Creek.
Ward 3 Alderwoman Amanda Jones says seeing the progress that’s been made on the project is “a reminder of what thoughtful planning and teamwork can accomplish.”
Jones, who represents the area where the bridge is located, says, “This bridge will soon provide safer and smoother travel for everyone who uses it.”
But she recognizes the hardship that closing the bridge has caused for many people who live and work in Clinton.
Road work remains for a section of Pinehaven Drive leading to the new bridge over Bogue Chitto Creek.
“I want to thank our citizens for their understanding during this construction period.”
Motorists who normally use the bridge have been forced to take a lengthy detour.
“There’s not a doubt that the community as a whole is ready for this bridge project to reach its conclusion,” says Alderman at Large Robert Chapman, who previously represented Ward 3. “This project has been inconvenient, to say the least. [But] it’s going to be a safer bridge and one that can stand the test of time.”
Road work remains for a section of Pinehaven Drive leading to the new bridge over Bogue Chitto Creek.
In July of 2023, a Natchez company was paid more than $83,000 to repair the rotten timber piles holding up the bridge. That work was viewed as a temporary fix to extend the life of the bridge until the City could find the funds to replace it. Despite the repairs, a three-ton weight limit remained in place with heavy trucks prohibited from using the bridge.
In 2024, the Clinton Public Schools began rerouting its buses to avoid the bridge because of safety concerns. The new bridge has concrete piles and is taller than the old one to give floodwaters more space to pass underneath.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) gave Clinton $5 million from the Emergency Road and Bridge Fund to replace the bridge. According to Owen, any money left over after the completion of the project will be returned to MDOT.
Pinehaven Drive remains closed near the bridge construction site until sometime this spring.
