Mississippi bridge built in 1895 could be demolished

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi bridge built more than 100 years ago could be demolished.

The Vicksburg Post reports the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday approved two resolutions seeking money from the Mississippi Department of Transportation Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund to replace the Kemp Bottom Road bridge and the Fairground Street bridge.

If Vicksburg gets money for the Fairground Street bridge, Mayor George Flaggs Jr. says he intends to ask state Archives and History to allow them to demolish it.

Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation Executive Director Nancy Bell says the bridge is the oldest in the state and is a Mississippi landmark. The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad built it 1895 as part of a deal that allowed the company right-of-way through Vicksburg. The bridge was closed to traffic in 1995.

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Information from: The Vicksburg Post, http://www.vicksburgpost.com