Replacement of Highway 90 bridges at MS-LA line faces another delay. Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal grant program still closed since this year's shutdown, halting funding.
- Louisiana estimates $150M–$350M to reopen five closed bridges.
- Closures since May 2022 disrupt commerce, evacuations and commuter routes.
The plan to fix five deteriorating bridges on Highway 90 at the Mississippi-Louisiana state line is stalled again because a federal program that could fund the project has not reopened since the government shutdown earlier this year, a lawmaker said.
State leaders in Louisiana intended to apply for the money this fall. The state’s transportation department has estimated it will cost between $150 million and $350 million to reopen the bridges, which have been closed for more than three years.
Now lawmakers say they hope the grant program will open in January.
“We share your frustration,” Louisiana State Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell, said last week. “We are hopeful this will get done soon.”
The 3-mile stretch from Pearlington into Louisiana closed in May 2022 after inspectors realized the 1930s-era bridges were not safe. Louisiana lacks the money to replace them and does not know when they will reopen.
The dilemma is keeping communities on the state line frustrated. Local businesses in Pearlington are losing customers who can no longer reach the small town. Residents are worrying over the loss of a hurricane evacuation route. Mississippi drivers who commute to Slidell and New Orleans have lost a detour that many once used if crashes closed two-lane Interstate 10.
Progress seemed possible last summer.
Louisiana State Rep. Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, announced on social media in August that the state would submit a federal grant application to replace four of the five bridges.
“Louisiana should be guaranteed to get this grant based upon the information we have been provided,” he said in August.
Now, Berault said, “unfortunately we’re just waiting to see what the federal government does with that program.”
The effort to get money through the funding source, called the Bridge Investment Program, could be helped by two influential Louisiana leaders in Congress: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Mississippi and Louisiana are also working together to repair the East Pearl River Bridge, which must allow rocket equipment to pass to the Stennis Space Center. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development is creating several designs for rebuilding the other bridges so it can “move immediately” once it gets funding, said Daniel Gitlin, a spokesperson.
“The amount of money that becomes available, and when it becomes available, will dictate the project,” he said. “The positive news is that once funding does become available, we have positioned ourselves to be ready to move forward.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.