Contract awarded for Pinehaven bridge replacement

By Randy Bell

A contractor who’s working on the Rising Spring development near Mississippi College is taking on another big job in Clinton. Joe McGee Construction Company of Lake has been awarded a $3,927,362.70 contract to replace a bridge on Pinehaven Drive. The project is being paid for through the state’s Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund. Barring unexpected expenses, no City money will be required.

The bridge, located between Williamson Road and Kickapoo Road, crosses Bogue Chitto Creek. It’s expected to be closed for about a year, beginning in the early spring, as the old bridge is removed and a new one is built.

Consulting City Engineer Bill Owen says the new span won’t look much like the old one.

“It’s twice as long, a good bit wider,” he points out. “It’s still just a two-lane bridge, but it’ll have wider shoulders. And it’ll be four or five feet higher than what it is right now.”
According to Owen, the added height is required to provide adequate space for water to flow under the bridge during heavy rains, helping to protect it from any flood damage.

Once the work gets underway, the bridge will be barricaded, and traffic on Pinehaven will be detoured via Williamson Road, Clinton-Tinnin Road and Kickapoo Road.
Owen says motorists heading south toward Clinton might want to take another route. “[Highway] 49 is a viable option too, down to Cynthia [Road].” The repairs are expected to take a year to complete.

The City has known for the past couple of years that the old bridge was on its last legs. “We already had to close it twice to make repairs,” Owen says. “We had to splice the [support] piles just to keep it open. As it is right now, it’s weight-restricted to three tons.” Last year, the Clinton Public School District began rerouting its buses to avoid the bridge.