A closed session of the Vicksburg Bridge Commission with Warren County supervisors ended with a commitment between the two to keep the other informed on bridge matters and apparent continuing indecision about what to do regarding the difference between bills sent and tolls paid by Kansas City Southern.

Though issues of movement in the piers supporting the 78-year-old bridge and projects in early stages to stabilize soils nearest the Mississippi bank have been publicized in the past two years, supervisors were summoned Wednesday for the first meeting between the two since new terms began Jan. 1.

Commissioners closed the doors using the potential litigation exception in the Mississippi Open Meetings law. Afterward, bridge officials did not announce any action based on the talks with supervisors by whom they are appointed, terming them exploratory.

“We just wanted to see if their thoughts mirrored what our thoughts were,” District 1 Supervisor David McDonald said later, referring to the ongoing lease conflict between the commission and Kansas City Southern Railway.

“We need to see whether to keep going the way we’re going or draw a line in the sand or whatever,” McDonald said.

Chairman Robert Moss said the commission was asked to be “more factual” to supervisors on the bridge’s issues.

On the agendaAgreed to deny access to the bridge in future emergency drills undertaken by local government and law enforcement entities.Superintendent Herman Smith said 14 pieces of equipment valued at $440 were damaged or missing during drills by a host of agencies during an emergency training exercise in March. Approved use of the bridge Nov. 1 for a 3K walk/run on the bridge’s former roadbed, sponsored by Living Independence for Everyone (LIFE). The event will feature competitive racing for the disabled.Declared excess property for disposal a 1978 Ford F-150 pickup, a desktop computer, a 19-inch monitor and two printers.Pier 2, the first large pier from the Mississippi bank, had been shifting west for about a decade until no further movement was found in the bridge’s annual stability report for 2007. Repositioning the wind-shear pendulum and replacing bearings is part of a project that was re-bid, as a single bid came in two-thirds its $593,000 estimate.

Mitigating soil slides with retaining walls depends on removing two natural gas pipelines crossing near their proposed location.

In April, U.S. Coast Guard officials requested bridge officials send all available inspection and engineering reports regarding its lateral movement as part of a study by Office of Bridge Administration.

As for its railroad dealings, bridge officials said privately last week they sought direction from county supervisors on how to proceed on terms sought by commissioners since 2005 to increase the per-car toll to $14. Since then, checks from the railroad have not exceeded $4 per car and have fluctuated based on car counts.

A $193,660 check for rail traffic in February and March arrived at commission offices this month, Smith said. April rail traffic was reported at 24,258. Overall, rail traffic across the span is on pace to average about 2,000 fewer cars than last fiscal year. KCS is the top income source for the bridge, which is operated on a break-even basis by the county with tolls calculated to cover the cost of repairs and maintenance.

Relations have been strained since supervisors agreed to sell the bridge to KCS nearly 15 years ago, but backed out of the deal. The railroad also objects to any public use of the bridge’s former roadbed by pedestrians, citing safety reasons. Supervisors have gone back and forth on their plans to create a park and the commission has gone so far as to apply for a park grant. KCS, usually silent, wrote letters and stated it would sue to stop any park development as a violation of its lease. A larger consideration is whether there is any valid, written document between KCS and Warren County.

Rail officials took note of recent strikes by barges in the weeks during the highest river stages since 1973, according to a letter sent to commission offices in April.

Barge tows hit the bridge five times between March 26 and May 3, most recent of which was a scrape by a crane atop a deck barge owned by Ergon Marine. In a letter, KCS officials told commissioners it is the barge companies’ responsibility to compensate both the railroad and the commission for any damages.

The board agreed to defer to their contract structural engineering firm, HNTB, on those matters. Estimates of inspection costs to the Baton Rouge-based firm have been pegged at about $3,000.

Damages stemming from the May 3 deck barge incident involved iron plates beneath the span and may require more attention than originally thought, Smith said, including brief stoppage of train traffic.

Barge traffic was restricted initially by U.S. Coast Guard officials as the Mississippi River rose.