LEAKESVILLE — Greene County residents are facing longer detours as crews replace aging bridges that county officials say had reached the end of their useful life. 

The work is part of a $12 million bond-funded project to replace 12 bridges, make three major repairs to bridges with steel or concrete pilings and complete about six smaller repairs across the county. 

District 1 Supervisor Dillion McInnis said the county issued the bond in 2024 and plans to repay it over 15 years using Mississippi use tax revenue. 

“We’re into our year three. It’s a 15-year bond. The note on that bond is $925,000 a year,” McInnis said. “We’re not using any of our local revenue to do this project.” 

McInnis said the goal is to build bridges that last 90 to 100 years, rather than about 50 years. 

District 5 Supervisor David Tingle said the project was needed because some of the county’s bridges date to 1967. 

“The pilings are probably as old as I am, and it’s time to redo them,” Tingle said. 

Timber piles are long wooden posts driven into the ground to support a structure. McInnis said only a handful of wood-pile bridges will remain in the county after the project. 

Crews are replacing the bridge on Old Highway 24 over Little Creek after concerns about rough driving conditions, Tingle said. 

“That one there would throw you about two feet in the air when you went across it,” he said. “It was rough and sunk in on each end. It was time.” 

Tingle said the bridge will be closed for three to six weeks. 

The bridge on Old Avera Road at Four Mile Creek in District 1 is also being replaced. McInnis said it had become a safety concern and is expected to be completed within two to three months. 

Longtime resident Sara Dueitt said the bridge replacements are needed, but detours and limited communication about closures have caused problems for some residents. 

“I am grateful that the bridges are being replaced because I knew that they were getting in disrepair,” Dueitt said. “They were past due for it.” 

Tingle said the county gave two weeks’ notice on the Greene County website and placed a notice in the newspaper before the bridge closure. However, Dueitt said some residents still missed the notices, especially those who do not use Facebook or regularly check the county website.

Dueitt said several people she knows have complained about longer travel times because of detours. She said one resident did not know a bridge had been closed until after driving toward it and having to turn around. 

County leaders are asking residents to be patient as more bridge work continues. 

“We have four or five left that we haven’t even started on,” McInnis said. 

Although bridge work is underway, Dueitt said Leakesville still has other infrastructure needs, including water system issues and road repaving. McInnis said he expects the county to focus on blacktop and resurfacing projects after the bridge bond is paid off. 

Even with those concerns, Dueitt said she is hopeful about the town’s future. 

“I love Leakesville. It’s home,” Dueitt said. “Every small town has its problems, but at least there are folks trying.”