Staff report

The Mississippi Department of Transportation will be closing a section of Highway 328 in Lafayette County on Tuesday, July 5. MDOT originally scheduled the closure for Tuesday, June 28. The section to be closed is located approximately two miles west of Highway 7.

“The project on Highway 328 will replace an existing bridge with a new drainage structure,” said MDOT District Two Engineer Mitch Turner. “The new drainage structure will require less maintenance and provide for a safer roadway.”

The existing bridge is made of timber, and its width, along with other features, do not meet the current minimum requirements. Over time the existing bridge can no longer safely support loaded truck traffic. Additionally, the rainfall that drains under the bridge has a very low volume of water.

MDOT anticipates this project will be complete by mid-summer; however, the nature of the work is weather dependent, and adverse weather conditions could push the completion back.

Advanced warning message boards will be placed west of Highway 7 and east of Highway 315. Traffic control devices will be in place to identify the closure. Motorists are should find alternate routes around the area while construction is taking place. This section of Highway 328 will remain closed until this work is complete.

“Because of the wear on the existing bridge and the other environmental factors, MDOT has determined that replacing this bridge with a new drainage structure is the most effective option available,” Turner said.

For more information about this project or other MDOT projects, visit www.MDOTtraffic.com, call Mississippi 511, download the free MDOT Traffic app from the App Store or Google Play store, or follow and like @MississippiDOT on Twitter and Facebook.