Mississippi DOT director Brad White says the state will soon start rebuilding a section of highway that collapsed during torrential rainfall brought by Hurricane Ida on August 30.
Two people were killed and nine were injured when seven vehicles fell into the collapsed area on the dark, rural stretch of Mississippi Highway 26 near Lucedale. One of the injured died in a hospital later.
According to the KTAR News report, the department has completed a geotechnical review and will choose a company early next month to repair the damage for about $1.2 million. White said the highway could reopen in about 45 days.
White said the area had already received more than double its average annual rainfall before the hurricane, and then Ida dumped more than 12 inches of rain in less than one day.
Source: KTAR News/AP Report
