What’s the Plan for a New Jimmie Davis Bridge?

Work on a new Jimmie Davis Bridge is expected to begin as soon as possible. That's the message from DOTD Secretary Dr. Shawn Wilson. He tells KEEL News this project will be done as a design/build which means it can be done much quicker.

But there is still no final decision on whether or not the new bridge will be 2 or 4 lane. During an interview with KEEL earlier this month, Dr. Wilson indicated it would be a 4 lane bridge. But now he says that is not a certainty. He does tell us a 4 lane bridge is his preference.

He says they are finalizing the environmental decisions now and will soon be moving into the design phase. But he could not give us an a timetable for when a new bridge could be built.

What about the old bridge? He says it could be converted into a linear park, but he would need local buy-in for that. He says the state would not likely take over the responsibility for maintaining that bridge.