Cedar Lake bridge re-opening pushed back to Tuesday

The Cedar Lake Bridge, which had been scheduled to re-open to traffic today, will not re-open until about 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Contractors were removing concrete barriers and other construction-related material this afternoon.

The bridge, which is on Cedar Lake Road north of Interstate 10 in Biloxi, has been closed to vehicular traffic since May 16, and its planned June 17 re-opening was delayed after Tropical Storm Arlene shut down construction for a week.

The aging, two-lane bridge was closed to allow city contractors to sandblast and repair the steel beams supporting the 170-foot swing span of the 400-foot bridge. Once the bridge reopens, intermittent lane closures will be required as the $684,000 repair project wraps up over the next two weeks.

The 4,800 motorists who cross the Cedar Lake bridge on an average day have been using the I-10 exits at either Highway 15 or Woolmarket as alternate routes.

The Biloxi City Council on April 15 approved $684,000 for two contracts to repair the bridge, which 13 months ago was closed to heavy vehicles. The work includes a $365,000 contract to Complete Engineering and Construction Inc. for needed structural improvements to the bridge, and a $319,000 contract to Industrial Corrosion Control to sandblast and paint the bridge.