PETITION REQUESTING GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO REPLACE DETERIORATED BRIDGE

Whereas the bridge on the Jackson Point Road located just west of Fort Adams, Mississippi across the Buffalo River is essential to keeping the commerce of deep southwest Mississippi healthy. This commerce consists of:

1. Oil and Gas Explortion
2. Oil Production
3. Timber Harvesting
4. Farming
5. Hunting

To support these commercial endeavours, it is essential that the bridge is capable of providing safe transport of:

1. Drilling Rigs
2. Work Over Rigs
3. Fully Loaded Crude Oil Tank Trucks
4. Trucks carrying oil storage tanks, Separator, casing, and other oil and/or gas producing equipment
5. Farm equipment and harvested crops
6. Hunters also use the bridge to access deer stands

The endeavours listed herein provide income and/or employment for:

1. Land Owners
2. Oil & Gas Companies and their Investors & employees
3. Lumber Companies
4. Foresters
5. Logging Contractors and workers
6. Others

All of these people who receive income from these enterprises not only pay local, State, and Federal taxes, but also pay local property taxes, and add money to the economy of Wilkinson County, and to other counties in the State of Mississippi, also some Louisiana Parishes.

Unfortunately, the current bridge has deteriorated, and no longer has the load capacity to support the heavy loads required and must be replaced with a new capable bridge. Jordan Kaiser & Sessions, LLC, a local Engineering company, has been assigned to design and construct a new bridge, but apparently, for lack of funding, they predict that construction will not start for three years.

Since the commercial activities are currently shut down, it is essential that bridge construction start quickly. Since the bridge has been condemned, negative effects have already surfaced. Williams Producing Co. has an amount of crude oil ready for delivery that would fill six tank trucks, with no way to deliver because the bridge cannot safely support a full tank truck. Rabb Contracting Company, LLC has an $81,000 Lease to drill several wells which have already been staked, but are stalled because a drilling rig cannot be delivered to the site. Farmer Ross McGee has already spent $11,000 clearing land for planting. All timber harvesting has been put on hold.

Therefore, we respectfully petition all government agencies who have the responsibility for funding programs that provide safe and useful public roads, do all in their power to provide funding for the Jackson Point Road bridge, as quickly as possible.

Also, because of the urgency of the situation, we respectively request that funding to supply a temporary pontoon bridge with the required load carrying capacity which could be used until the new bridge is completed and put into service.

A possible alternative to the pontoon bridge as a temporary fix is a low water bridge. Some investigations have been accomplished on this, but Funding would be required for this.