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A state of emergency has been declared in Biloxi, Mississippi, which authorizes the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to take over the bridge repairs and seek Federal Highway Emergency funding to pay for the project.
One of eight barges struck a bridge in Biloxi early morning on Friday, March 20, 2009 and initially, city leaders thought only a 60 foot section collapsed. However, over the weekend city leaders discovered that two 90 foot sections and at least eight pilings fell into the water. One barge is still submerged and crews have been working to remove large chunks of debris. The amount of time it will take to repair the bridge depends on the severity of damage.
"It may take a couple of days. It just depends on how fast we can get the material unloaded off the barge and get the remainder of the bridge on top of it off, and allow some air bags to get underneath it and float that barge to the surface and remove it from the site," said MDOT Engineer Kelly Castleberry.
Divers, who have been contracted by MDOT, will conduct an in-depth underwater inspection of parts of the bridge that are still standing. The survey will be performed on Wednesday and will help determine the extent of damage.
Mayor Holloway believes that the city made the right choice in partnering with MDOT to get the bridge repaired and the debris cleaned up. He said that it will be done a lot faster and will be cheaper for the city.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Mississippi Department of Marine Resources are still investigating the details of the barge collision.
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