Jackson: Mississippi will soon begin to rebuild the highway that collapsed during heavy rains carried by the Ida storm, said the head of the state transportation department.
Two people were killed and nine others were injured on August 30 when seven vehicles fell, one by one, into a deep hole which was open on the rural stretch of Mississippi Highway 26 near Lucedale.
One of the injured people died at the hospital on September 11.
Brad White Transport Director Department told the legislative author Friday that the department had completed a geotechnical review and would choose the company early next month to repair damage around $ 1.2 million.
He said the highway could be reopened in about 45 days.
White said the area had received more than doubled the average annual rainfall before the storm, and then Ida waste heavy rain (30.5 centimeters) in less than one day.
The highway stretch was on the hillside, and White said the flood blew the pipe running under the road.
“I don’t know about any preventive maintenance that can be done before the storm,” White said.