The west rail deck of the U.S. 80 Bridge across the Mississippi River will be rebuilt for nearly $2 million under a contract awarded by the Vicksburg Bridge Commission on Wednesday.

The project comes as closed negotiations continue between Kansas City Southern rail company and the commission appointed to operate the bridge, owned by Warren County.

T.L. Wallace Construction of Columbia won the low bid of $1,997,302 to replace deteriorating concrete on the approach used by trains on the Louisiana side of the river.

Negotiations center on the toll KCS is to pay for using the bridge and on lease terms. A complicating factor is that the rail company objects to any development of the bridge roadway, closed to vehicles since 1998, being converted to allow pedestrian use. Commissioners have a grant for that project pending.

The deck project was tabled much of this year while commissioners examined plans and specifications for the work by Baton Rouge-based construction and architecture services firm HNTB. Longer-term stability projects have been under way and more are projected.

Chairman Robert Moss said utility funds would be tapped to pay for the work. KCS provides the largest portion of bridge income by far, but the commission has deals with other utilities whose transmission lines use the 76-year-old bridge to cross the river.

While there is a substantial reserve, Moss said funds could dry up over the life of the contract if income from rail leases goes down. Work could take up to two years to complete if the company uses all its valid contract time.

Utility funds are also eyed as the source for about $427,000 in matching money for the grant the commission is seeking through the Mississippi Department of Transportation to place a pedestrian park and bike path on the former roadbed.

Commissioners also discussed the last toll check KCS sent. It was for August and totaled $104,343.75, up from the $101,812.50 the commission received from KCS for July and a portion of June. As has been the case for more than a year, it was paid according to the previous per-car lease rate of $4 for the first 125,000 cars and $3.75 for each car after that.

A lease rate of $14 per car has been the desire of the commission for more than a year, but KCS has just not paid it.

Details of the ongoing talks with KCS were discussed in closed session, as they have been for months. No action was taken, Superintendent Herman Smith said.

In other business, the commission: