Mississippi repairs, reopens highway that collapsed in Ida
Mississippi has finished repairing section of highway that collapsed during torrential rainfall brought by Hurricane Ida
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mississippi has finished repairing section of highway that collapsed during torrential rainfall brought by Hurricane Ida and the road reopened Wednesday.
Two people were killed and nine were injured Aug. 30 as seven vehicles plunged, one after another, into a deep pit that opened up on the dark, rural stretch of Mississippi Highway 26 near Lucedale. One of the injured people died in a hospital Sept. 11.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation awarded a $1.8 million repair contract in October. A construction company met the department's goal of getting the highway back open safely and quickly, southern district Transportation Commissioner Tom King said in a news release Wednesday.
“I know how important Highway 26 is for the region, and I appreciate all the work that went into getting it open ahead of schedule," King said.
Department of Transportation Director Brad White told legislators in September that the area had already received more than double its average annual rainfall before the hurricane, and then Ida dumped more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in less than one day. The stretch of highway is on a hillside, and White said the deluge blew out a pipe that ran under the roadbed.
King said work will continue until early 2022 as crews repave routes that were used as detours while the stretch of highway was closed.