RANKIN COUNTY, Miss.— Construction trucks and bright orange cones blocked the southbound side of the bridge over the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Goshen Springs, Mississippi, on Wednesday, with cars lining up at a temporary red light on the other side of the road. Soon, the entire bridge will be closed for construction until October.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation recently inspected the bridge and found a void, or a large empty hole, under the part of the bridge that connects to the main road on Mississippi Route 43 in Goshen Springs. The two-lane bridge on Mississippi Route 43 that connects Rankin County to Madison County will be closed from July 28 to Oct. 1 for construction, the agency said in a July 15 press release.
More than 3,500 vehicles cross the bridge daily, MDOT told the Mississippi Free Press on Thursday morning.
Over the past few months, construction crews have had to patch up spots on the bridge over the Ross Barnett Reservoir at least once a week to keep the bridge open for travel, but the minor repairs are not enough, MDOT said.
“Over the last several months, MDOT forces have been making temporary repairs to the bridge on Hwy 43 over the Ross Barnett Reservoir in an effort to keep it safe and open to the traveling public,” MDOT Executive Director Brad White said in a July 15 press release. “However, a recent inspection of the bridge revealed a significant void under the bridge approach. We understand that closing this bridge, even temporarily, creates a real hardship for the families, businesses and commuters who rely on it every day. But everyone’s safety must come first.”
While the bridge is closed, drivers will need to take alternate routes and use detours to Mississippi Route 25 and Interstate 55 as indicated by signs along the road, MDOT said. The bridge is the only connecting bridge over the reservoir from Rankin County to Madison County, which could cause drivers to spend more time traveling to reach their destinations.
In 2020, Mississippi Route 43 over the reservoir was closed to replace two other bridges. The reservoir is named after former Gov. Ross Barnett, a notoriously racist, segregationist Dixiecrat who led the state in the 1960s; since 2022, hundreds of residents have signed a petition calling to rename it.
The bridge over the reservoir isn’t the only one that the State has had to shut down recently for repairs after inspectors found a void. In Marion County, MDOT closed a bridge that crosses the Pearl River on Highway 98 earlier this month to repair a void.
Mississippi had 7,385 bridges that needed repair and 1,009 bridges designated as structurally deficient, an American Road and Transportation Builders 2024 report said. The State has designated additional state and federal dollars to address infrastructure concerns in recent years.
Former President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act gave Mississippi $225 million for bridge repairs and replacement. The Mississippi Legislature also approved the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund in 2018, which has provided around $600 million for infrastructure repairs since its passage.
Mississippi’s gas tax will increase by nine cents per gallon over a three-year period under a new law that took effect on July 1, 2025. Republican lawmakers say they expect the new tax to bring in revenue of $200 million yearly for MDOT to use to improve the state’s roads and bridges.
