Drivers rejoice! Fort Bayou bridge in Ocean Springs is opening earlier than expected
Fort Bayou Bridge in Ocean Springs now will open Thursday afternoon, a day earlier than expected, MDOT announced Wednesday.
“All four lanes of the Fort Bayou drawbridge will reopen to traffic at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 20,” Mississippi Department of Transportation said in a press release.
It comes just ahead of the busy Memorial Day Weekend in Ocean Springs and Biloxi.
The bridge closed March 14 and took nearly a month longer than expected when repairs were more extensive than anticipated. Traffic was more congested in Biloxi, D’Iberville and Jackson County as people made daily detours.
“We know this has been an obstacle for the public but we are grateful to everyone who was inconvenienced by this closure,” project engineer Jason Winders said in a press release.
“The bridge is currently operating on a temporary hydraulic system which allows us to reopen it to traffic, but by no means are we through with the project,” he said.
Work on the bridge on Washington Avenue/Mississippi 609 will continue until the end of the year, but additional closures are expected to be at night.
The contractor is C.E.C. Inc., of Lafayette, Louisiana.
