Traffic flows again across busy MS Coast bridge that was briefly stuck open

A malfunction that briefly caused the Fort Bayou Drawbridge to become stuck open Tuesday morning has been fixed, the Mississippi Department of Transportation said.

The agency said the problem had been solved by about 9:10 a.m. A nearby traffic camera showed cars flowing smoothly again.

Ocean Springs Police Chief Steven Dye said the issue began at about 8:45 a.m. The problem stopped drivers in nearly standstill traffic, and MDOT initially warned delays could last at least an hour and 30 minutes.

It is unclear what caused the brief problem. An MDOT official went to the bridge before 9 a.m. to investigate it, said Anna Ehrgott, a public information officer for the agency.

The bridge has gotten stuck open before. It closed for over an hour because of an electrical malfunction during Cruisin’ The Coast in 2024. It also was stuck open for nearly 3 hours over Memorial Day last year.

This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 8:56 AM.