Two bridges in Oktibbeha County have been closed following federal inspections.
Oktibbeha County Road Manager Hal Baggett told the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors at its meeting Monday the bridges located at Longview-Adaton Road and County Lake Road were now closed due to disrepair.
“That’s not the county’s doing,” Baggett said. “That’s the state and federal government. The federal funds are cut off if you don’t close the bridge when they ask you to close.”
Baggett said the roads department was seeking the shortest possible detour routes, but due to the location, the detour at the County Lake Road bridge would add time and distance to the route.
The board also raised concerns about ongoing repairs on some other county bridges, particularly in regard to paving layers of asphalt over bridges.’
Attorney Ray Chambers from the Jackson-based Chambers and Gaylor Law Firm also spoke to the board, discussing a class-action lawsuit 10 Mississippi counties and other communities in the state and beyond had joined against manufacturers of prescription opioids.
“We seek to pursue a claim to make the manufacturers pay,” Chambers said. “It’s not a case against any local doctors or hospitals or none of the buyers. It’s strictly against the manufacturers.”
Chambers said the Hattiesburg-based McHugh Fuller Law Group was also involved in the suit.
The board decided to hear Board Attorney Jack Brown’s views on the suit before moving any further.
The board also unanimously approved the advertising for purchase of a brush truck by the District 5 Volunteer Fire Department. The truck will be purchased using a grant and matching with the department’s
county budget funds.