Photos: U.S. 51 Coldwater River Bridge replacement, Tate County, Miss.
Oct. 16, 2017
In March 2016, a flood event severely damaged the U.S. Highway 51 Bridge over the Coldwater River in Tate County, Miss. The bridge was scheduled for replacement in November 2016. After inspection, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) determined repairing the bridge was not a feasible or economical solution because of sustained damage and the bridge’s low sufficiency rating. These factors led MDOT to move the project timeline forward. The project will construct a new 2,000-ft bridge, 900 ft longer than the old bridge, and raise the roadway by 4 ft to help prevent future flooding. Construction began in the summer of 2016 and is expected to be complete by mid-winter 2017.
