Vicksburg unfortunately has two examples of how the federal, state and local governmental bureaucracy can derail projects that are both needed and wanted.

Those examples rest in the potential pedestrian bridge on the old U.S. Highway 80 bridge and the demolition of the former Kuhn Hospital and the clearing of the 12.8 acres on which it sits.

In the case of the bridge, the Vicksburg and Warren County community has long clamored for the bridge to be opened up as a pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River.

Tied up by on-again off-again negations — that are more off than on — between Warren County, who owns the bridge, organizations who support the pedestrian bridge project and the Kansas City Southern Railroad, who leases the railroad track on the bridge from Warren County, have only recently provided fruit in the way of renewed communication and maybe a timeline and direction for a possible agreement and funding.

The 1.6-mile, 86-year-old bridge is owned by the county, but managed by the five-member Vicksburg Bridge Commission.

The bridge was closed to vehicles in 1998 over safety concerns.

But, the conversation and meeting the demands of a populous that so wants this project to be completed has been mired for years in red tape, discussions, negotiations and lack of federal and state funding.

As for the Kuhn Hospital, the city of Vicksburg is once again looking for ways to acquire the dilapidated and dangerous facility in order to seek funding on tearing it down.

For more than a year, city officials have said they were close to acquiring it, have set timelines of getting their hands on the building and looked ahead to when they would be able to tear down the public nuisance.

But, again, we sit here today apparently no closer to seeing that community eyesore meet the demise that is so dearly needed.

We believe that forms of federal, state and environmental regulations are important and needed to ensure things are handled in the correct order and in the right way.

The public’s safety can never be taken lightly.

But, these two projects have bordered on the ridiculous when it comes to the length of time to do something that everyone — well almost everyone — agrees is needed.

The pedestrian bridge would provide yet another tourism attraction and economic boost to our city.

And, the Kuhn Hospital is a blemish on our city that should have been gone long before it was the site of a horrific murder last year.

There are areas in which we have disagreement, but not here.