The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury is moving forward on plans for an emergency repair on a rural bridge damaged by debris building up against the structure.

The Police Jury recently received bids for the proposed bridge repair project on Freehand Road, located in the north central portion of the parish between Elton and Welsh.

The project bid was awarded to L & R Construction of Kaplan for $37,602. The company was the lowest of three bids submitted for the project, according to engineer Alex Guillory of Bluewing Civil Consulting.

“The bridge had washed out a lot and had a lot of debris piled up underneath that was washing out,” he said.

Guillory said a realignment is needed to correct problems with the northeast wing wall washing out and eroding into the road. The problem is likely caused by debris floating from upstream against the bridge, diverting the flow and causing the washout.

The Bayou Serpent drainage board has agreed to assist the Police Jury with removing the debris at a cost of $1,500.

Repairs are expected to begin in three weeks and will take about a month to complete, Guillory said.

“We plan to have this done in time for as much of the rice harvest as we can to help the local farmers,” he said.

The bridge is expected to remain open to traffic during the repairs.