Four state aid road and bridge projects are ready to go out for bids under the county’s four-year plan for state aid road and bridgework approved Monday by Warren County supervisors, county administrator John Smith said.
“The board has to do a four-year plan every year,” Smith said. “The plan is projects they have programmed for state aid and LSBP funding and future funding for future projects.”
Under the program, he said the board has bridges on Old Highway 27, Fisher Ferry and Avenue D in Vicksburg in what is called the “construction phase,” and work on replacing a bridge on Freetown Road, repairs to Henry Lake Road, bridge replacement on Ballground Road, and Kings Point Ferry Maintenance in what in called the “design phase.”
“The construction phase is where we have received bids and awarded them,” Smith said. “We’ve got three bridge projects going.”
“The design phase, we’ve got the money, but they haven’t gone to bid yet,” he said. “They’re (engineers) trying to get all the bid information together, and match that with the money we have from state aid. When we go to bid, we’ll get permission from state aid to bid it out.”
Maintenance work on the Kings Point Ferry has been bid several times before.
Warren County must maintain the ferry, which has provided the only access to the Kings Point area since construction of the Yazoo Diversion Canal in 1903 cut it off from the mainland of Warren County. The island is made up mostly of hunting camps and timber farming. The ferry runs daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. carrying hunters and workers across the canal.
The board has $252,000 for the project — $216,900 of that is federal and state funds. The work includes push boat engine assemblies, gearbox engine assemblies, propeller assemblies, sandblasting and painting.
“The bids were too high, or the bid was perfect but they (the bidder) didn’t sign the bid and we had to throw it out,” Smith said.
In as related matter, the board voted to advertise for bids to raze the old Mississippi 3 bridge in the northern part of the county. The bridge was replaced by a more modern bridge and is not being used, but it is still on the state aid roster.
Smith said the bridge must be demolished to remove it from the state aid list.