An excavator hangs from a flatbed trailer beneath the Interstate 55 overpass at Oakland after it struck the bridge on June 16. – Photo by Michelle Turner
OAKLAND – The damaged Interstate 55 overpass at Oakland will remain reduced to one northbound lane until repairs can be completed, according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
MDOT Public Information Officer David Kenney said the bridge has been inspected and emergency funding has been authorized for the project, which will be completed by a contractor after the work is bid in the near future. Repair plans are currently being prepared and will require removal of part of the bridge deck, replacement of damaged beams, installation of new bridge railing and placement of new concrete before the lane can be reopened.
The overpass was damaged June 16 when a westbound tractor-trailer hauling a Link-Belt excavator on Highway 32 struck the underside of the Interstate 55 bridge shortly before 5 p.m.
The collision left the excavator partially hanging from the flatbed trailer and damaged the bridge.
