ProjectsEmergency Bridge Repair Program for Lawrence, Lincoln Counties
Supervisors of Lawrence and Lincoln Counties
Lawrence and Lincoln Counties
Professional Services Provided:
Roadway and Bridge Improvements, County and Municipal Services
Construction Budget:
$7 million
Completion Date:
Summer 2018
Constructor(s):
T.L. Wallace
Description:
In Southwest Mississippi, way out in the pines, there are no bridges to nowhere. Every bridge on every road, no matter the size, carries teachers, farmers, firefighters, paramedics, linesmen, families. When the older, timber-framed bridges began to be targeted for closure by federal bridge inspectors in late 2016, the impact on rural communities was far-reaching, and a circle of blame developed that led to the highest political circles in Mississippi. Dungan Engineering was at Ground Zero of the bridge crisis, with Lawrence and Lincoln counties as clients, but instead of looking for someone to blame, Dungan’s engineers began closing bridges on their own and working overtime for more than one year to replace them. The firm designed and oversaw the construction of 33 bridges in Lincoln County and another seven in Lawrence County, installing concrete box culverts, reusing concrete decks on new pilings, building new spans entirely — whatever it took to get from one side of the water to the other. Almost every contractor in the region (Magco, Oddee Smith Construction, MGD Holdings, Greenbriar, S&S Construction) was booked solid for 18 months, and the two counties spent around $6.5 million — a decade’s worth of bridge money — to keep the rural transportation network open and citizens traveling safely.