NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — One of two bridges over the Mississippi River between Natchez, Mississippi, and Vidalia, Louisiana, has reopened months ahead of schedule after repairs.
Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesman Jas N Smith said Monday that crews finished restriping lanes on the eastbound and westbound bridges over the weekend.
He says landscaping, cleanup and sign work remains, but the major traffic impacts are mostly over.
The state spent $26.8 million to replace the pins that held the 77-year-old westbound bridge together and to repaint it. The bridge was closed for part of the time, with U.S. 84 traffic down to one lane each way.
The project was originally supposed to last until April, but Smith says contractors made rapid progress.
Officials earlier replaced the pins and repainted the newer eastbound bridge.
