(The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the following news release on January 26.)
WASHINGTON — Work to rebuild the bridges over St. Louis Bay is reaching “critical mass” according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta who came to Gulfport, MS Thursday for a progress report on hurricane recovery efforts.
Mineta took a train ride over the repaired CSX railroad bridge then boarded a U.S. Coast Guard vessel for a close-up look at the devastated U.S. 90 highway bridge. He reviewed plans to begin construction on a replacement to that span. The railroad bridge will open in early February, with work to begin on the U.S. 90 crossings over St. Louis Bay and Biloxi Bay as soon as possible, Mineta said.
“When you consider just how much damage was done to coastal roads and rails by Hurricane Katrina, the progress that is being made to reconnect and reopen bridges is nothing short of impressive,” he said.
Mineta said his Department waived contracting rules to allow Mississippi officials to move forward with their plans to hire contractors to rebuild the highway bridge and a similar bridge between Biloxi and Ocean Springs. “We are reaching critical mass in our effort to reopen these bridges,” he said.
Mineta explained that repairs couldn’t begin on either of the U.S. 90 bridges until much of the road was repaired between Gulfport and Biloxi so construction crews could get to the bridges. Work on the St. Louis Bay bridge is expected to begin as soon as early February. The federal government hopes to pay the entire tab for both bridges, and will know for sure if that is possible once a review of bid packages is complete within the next few days he added.
Mineta promised to monitor work on the bridges, saying he wants to ensure continued progress on the project.
“Now that we have cleared regulatory obstacles and found the federal dollars, we need to make sure we don’t lose our early momentum,” he said.
Mineta praised railroad officials for their quick work in repairing 40 miles of tracks and six bridges also destroyed by the hurricane.
“A lot of incredible work is being done to erase the impact of the hurricane on our transportation network,” Mineta concluded.
The Secretary’s remarks can be found at http://www.dot.gov/affairs/minetasp012606.htm.