Movement by the “shiftiest” pier supporting the U.S. 80 bridge was minimal in the past year, according to the bridge’s annual stability report.

As was the case in last year’s report by architectural services firm HNTB, the 77-year-old bridge was graded favorably — “fair to good condition,” according to the summary section.

Virtually no further westerly movement was detected since October 2006 in Pier 2, the second from the Mississippi bank, the report said. More than 9 inches of shifting had been recorded in the previous 10 years. Work to replace bearings and concrete atop the pier and repair a wind-shear device inside it should start “as soon as possible,” the report said.

After months of discussions over how pre-bid conferences with rail and natural gas companies should proceed, commissioners on Wednesday OK’d advertising for bids on the project.

A $2.5 million project to stabilize shorter piers at the river bank has continued since midsummer. A soil-anchoring project has been mentioned as the likeliest long-term fix for deep-earth movement in Pier 2, which could cost in excess of $10 million.

Other details point out broken bracing to the west approach rail trestle and a fair-to-poor rating for the highway deck, closed to traffic in 1998. A $2 million replacement of concrete on the road begun nearly a year ago is expected to wrap up sometime in 2008.

Revenue to the bridge fell off during November, as the commission received only a $2,442.43 check covering interest for the month.

Rail car counts reached 23,787 in November, an average of about 793 cars daily. It was down from 27,086 in October. KCS paid $101,572.50 for October’s rail traffic.

That included stats for Nov. 26, when a dozen rail cars on a KCS train derailed near Choudrant, La., in Lincoln Parish. Only 67 westbound cars and no eastbound cars were reported that day. All but three trains were rerouted for more than a day following the early-morning accident.

Also, property tax bills from Delta and Madison Parish rose to $44,733.57 this year, a jump of more than 16 percent over last year, Bridge Superintendent Herman Smith said.

Taxes levied on more than half of the 1.6 mile-long bridge included 40.04 mills collected by the Madison Parish School Board and fees to fund the parish’s jail and emergency dispatch, among other services.

Hikes stemmed exclusively from parish taxes, which alone were $43,163.22. The village of Delta levied $1,570 in taxes on the bridge, which did not change from last year.