JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Community members showed up to a town hall meeting on Thursday to learn more about the bridge that was closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jackson.

Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes, Ward 3, hosted the meeting at Cornerstone Church, which is located near the bridge.

“This is how people get to Jackson State University. This is how people get to the medical center. This is how people… when I said medical center, we talking about Baptist Hospital. This is how people get everywhere, downtown Jackson, everywhere off Martin Luther King. When Martin Luther King is down, this whole neighborhood is down,” said Stokes.

Louis Wright, chief administrative officer for the City of Jackson, said the bridge was inspected and deemed unsafe. As a result, the city was asked to close the bridge.

“Instead of just putting barricades around the bridge, we put piles of dirt there to keep people from moving the barricades going around. As you can see, the bridge is wavering, so we wanted to make sure that no one got hurt as a result of trying to cross that bridge,” explained Wright.

Stokes invited some experts to the meeting to show neighbors how the process works to get a new bridge. IMS Engineers does work for Hinds County and will work with the city, as needed, on the project.

“We’ve been in communication with the city. A consultant has been hired. They completed the the necessary engineering design work. I believe they have completed the required construction documents that would be needed for a contractor to provide a bid,” said Rod Hill, president of IMS.

There’s a process to follow in order to bid for the project and comply with state law. The next step would be to advertise the project.

“I think the first advertisement would be around June 4, according to state law. We got to advertise it twice, and then we can accept those bids 15 days following the second advertisement,” said Hill.

He said once a contractor has been selected and work begins, the project should be completed within 90 to 120 days, weather dependent.

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