Welders will be making repairs to another area of the Popp’s Ferry bridge span Saturday morning beginning at 6 a.m., and next week the Biloxi City Council will be asked to approve $280,000 in repairs to the fender system, which was sideswiped by a barge weeks ago.
The repair work on Saturday morning will see welder Dann Balius fashioning a small fabricated steel section to an area of the steel grid that had shown weakness.
“There’s a small narrow piece missing. It’s not an issue for cars or trucks traveling across the span, but we don’t want it to become a problem for motorcycles,” said acting Public Works Director Damon Torricelli. “We’re expecting the work to be completed in a couple of hours.”
The work will affect southbound traffic, but a police officer will be on hand to help keep traffic moving safely.
Said Torricelli: “We chose Saturday morning because of the light traffic volume.”
Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols said the city anticipates pursuing reimbursement from the tug boat operator for repairs to the bridge’s fender system.
Span photos: To see photos from the span repairs in March, click here.
Fender photos: To see photos from the fender accident in May, click here.
News and notes
Weekend preview: To see this weekend’s lineup of entertainment, courtesy of listings from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, click here.
Webcasting: Among the topics on this week’s City Desk webcast are a recap of the general election, another Restore Biloxi infrastructure project and more. You can also hear an archive of previous City Desk programs. To listen to this week’s 10-minute program, click here.
More baseball: The Biloxi City Council on Tuesday will consider a measure involving the proposed downtown baseball stadium, as well as granting a tax break to Shaggy’s restaurant for its expansion. To see the agenda for the meeting – two dozen measures in all – click here.
