The Vicksburg Bridge Commission will talk with officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the manufacturer of a radar gauge under the old U.S. 80 bridge about whether it could lead to a lawsuit.

At issue is securing a &#8220hold harmless” agreement from the Corps releasing the commission from liability in case the device falls from the bridge and injures someone below.

Members of the commission circulated two letters received in February concerning the 15-by-8-inch, square-shaped box bolted to a steel beam between piers 2 and 3 outside the navigation channel. A cone-shaped attachment on the bottom of it measures water depth in the river.

One letter, from Doug Kamien, chief of the engineering division at the Vicksburg District, indicates the new gauge has performed more reliably than the previous one and the District plans to buy it for permanent use.

The other, from William I. Fletcher, president of Design Analysis Associates Inc. of Logan, Utah, indicates that the company is willing to offer a limited hold harmless agreement to the commission. That agreement would be 60 days from Feb. 20.

It would allow the Corps to take ownership of the device and work out an accord with the commission, the letter said.

Commissioners agreed that they had issues with the spirit of the Corps letter, specifying other concerns with the gauge, including maintenance and whether the U.S. Coast Guard could assure that its radio frequencies did not interfere with that of companies owning ships passing under the bridge.

Commissioners planned to draft letters to Kamien and Fletcher to suggest more talks.

In other business, the commission: