Michigan City, MS -
FAST FACTS:
Dennis.turner@wreg.com
(Michigan City, MS 7/29/2009) A potentially deadly problem lies between some Benton County homeowners and the outside world.
Folks there have a bridge problem, a bridge that's falling apart and they need help.
Elizabeth McMullen says she has no choice but to put her family at risk every day. "We have to cross the bridge and I'm putting my kids as risk when we cross that bridge,"said McMullen.
Neighbors say The Mosquito Bend bridge over Chubby Creek near Michigan City hasn't been replaced in at least 30 or 40 years.
It's showing its age badly, with missing timbers, and a big hole, covered with a state highway sign. "I don't call puttin' an old road sign and piling dirt on top of it a repair," McMullen explained.
But so far, that's about as much repair as this bridge has had. And that's not all:
Want to find out if the bridge is strong enough to hold your car? Good luck with that. The sign with the weight information is buried behind an overgrowth of trees.
McMullen says she and others have taken their concerns to County Supervisors, but always get the same answers. "Well, there's no money, or it's in the works or it's in the process and you don't feel like anybody's being honest with you," she said.
We got a bit of a different answer from first district Supervisor Tate King.
He says as soon as weather allows, work would begin on a bridge bypass, with bridge replacement to follow.
And that's just what people here want. "I want the bridge replaced, repaired I mean the could repair it but it's just gonna be another temporary fix. Replace it with a good sturdy concrete bridge with a good reliable culvert under it where everybody's safe coming across it," said McMullen.
But she won't hold her breath, she'll believe the Supervisor when she finally sees action, "It may not seem like that much to them because they don't have to cross it every day but when you have kids and you have to cross that every day, you wonder."
You have to wonder if you'll make it across. Supervisor King couldn't give me a firm date when work would begin, but he emphasized it would begin soon.
- Mosquito Bend Bridge Patched With Dirt and Road Signs
- Neighbors Worried About Bridge's Stability
- Supervisor Says Replacement Scheduled
Dennis.turner@wreg.com
(Michigan City, MS 7/29/2009) A potentially deadly problem lies between some Benton County homeowners and the outside world.
Folks there have a bridge problem, a bridge that's falling apart and they need help.
Elizabeth McMullen says she has no choice but to put her family at risk every day. "We have to cross the bridge and I'm putting my kids as risk when we cross that bridge,"said McMullen.
Neighbors say The Mosquito Bend bridge over Chubby Creek near Michigan City hasn't been replaced in at least 30 or 40 years.
It's showing its age badly, with missing timbers, and a big hole, covered with a state highway sign. "I don't call puttin' an old road sign and piling dirt on top of it a repair," McMullen explained.
But so far, that's about as much repair as this bridge has had. And that's not all:
Want to find out if the bridge is strong enough to hold your car? Good luck with that. The sign with the weight information is buried behind an overgrowth of trees.
McMullen says she and others have taken their concerns to County Supervisors, but always get the same answers. "Well, there's no money, or it's in the works or it's in the process and you don't feel like anybody's being honest with you," she said.
We got a bit of a different answer from first district Supervisor Tate King.
He says as soon as weather allows, work would begin on a bridge bypass, with bridge replacement to follow.
And that's just what people here want. "I want the bridge replaced, repaired I mean the could repair it but it's just gonna be another temporary fix. Replace it with a good sturdy concrete bridge with a good reliable culvert under it where everybody's safe coming across it," said McMullen.
But she won't hold her breath, she'll believe the Supervisor when she finally sees action, "It may not seem like that much to them because they don't have to cross it every day but when you have kids and you have to cross that every day, you wonder."
You have to wonder if you'll make it across. Supervisor King couldn't give me a firm date when work would begin, but he emphasized it would begin soon.
