BRIDGE IMPACTS

A washout shut down the bridge across highway 404 in Bellefontaine.

Stephen Pimpo talks the the Webster county emergency management about the challenges they face with response times.

A washout shut down the bridge across highway 404 in bellefontaine.

For the past month, area first responders have had to use alternative routes when responding to a call.

Wcbi reporter stephen pimpo is in the studio with the challenges they are facing.

Webster county emergency managment tell me they are constantly monitoring the situation.

Still, its taken coordination at every level to make sure crews can still get to emergencies as fast as possible.

"minutes do count and we want to get people out there as quickly as we can."

When a washout closed down the bridge over highway 404 in september, the walthall fire department said they expected the shutdown to last at least a week, possibly longer.

"rainfall that washed out part of the bridge or part of the area around the bridge, causing the mississippi department of transportation to close it down."

That was more than a month ago.

Law enforcement and emergency crews have had to adapt to losing one of the busiest and most direct routes through webster county.

Su: you can see the full extent of the washouts damage below.

Before that...authorities say 7-800 cars a day would drive over this bridge.

Deputy emergency management director tom booth say their teams have been successfull in using the alternate routes of shaw road or martin luther king drive.

"most locations are probably not going to see any changes in any of the response times but their may be some areas that experience small delays."

Booth says its those locations on the west side of the bridge that would be most impacted.

"we're actually having to come in from a different location that's on down past it and actually coming back to that area."

The gps app on my phone estimated it would take an extra 7-9 minutes traveling the speed limit to get from the webster county court house to highway 404 using one of those new routes.

But local emergency crews have much more at their disposal to cut that time down.

"911 dispatch has been good about giving good enough directions and plotting the best route for emergency services to get to those people to get them assistance as quickly as possible."

Booth says that the webster county community still knows that they are doing everything they can to keep them safe.

"they understand the inconvenience it is but they also understand that emergency services will get to them when they call."

Deputy director booth says the mississippi department of transportation is expected to start repairs on the bridge in early november.

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