A draft budget of the state’s next fiscal year released last week by the legislative budget committee includes $20 million for county bridge repair, something local supervisors say is essential after the state allocated no money this fiscal year for such repairs.

     “The bridge situation is terrible,” said District Four Supervisor Eddie Brown. “We’ve lost a whole year on planning.”

     The Local System Bridge Program was established in 1994 to provide money for the repair and replacement of county bridges rated as deficient.

     County supervisors have come to rely on that revenue stream when assessing the status of bridges and planning ahead for needed mending.

     In last year’s legislative session, however, no money was allocated for the program for the 2012-13 fiscal year.

     That makes Brown nervous when he inspects bridges like the ones on Big Creek Drive and Maple Lane.

     “If they fell in, we would not be able to build them back,” Brown said. “Those are bridges I cannot handle out of the county funds.”

     Both bridges are also in bad shape.

     The Big Creek bridge is only rated for loads of 10,000 pounds or less. That’s about the lower limit for a school bus, Brown said.

     If that bridge’s rating drops any further, school buses utilizing that bridge will need to be rerouted.

     Though the Maple Lane bridge remains likewise rated at 10,000 pounds, the Lincoln County School District wants to bypass it, Brown said.

     The Big Creek bridge is about 20 years old and on a high traffic road. More ominously, Brown fears that within a few years, engineers may eye it for a further rating reduction.

     It’s past the point of repair, but Brown says it would cost $300,000 to replace.

     Replacement of the Maple Lane bridge, in much the same condition, could cost more than that.

     Dungan Engineering conducts inspections of county bridges, assigning a rating on a 100-point scale. A rating below 50 earns a bridge a label of “deficient.”

     Across Lincoln County, 58 bridges are considered deficient, 21 in Brown’s District Four.

     The Mississippi Association of Supervisors has made bridge funding a priority request in its legislative agenda for the upcoming session that begins in January.

     Local lawmakers, including House District 92 Rep. Becky Currie, District 53 Rep. Bobby Moak and Sen. Sally Doty of District 39, have all expressed support for the program.

     Based on talks he’s had with Currie and Doty, Brown said he’s confident they’ll support funding for the program.

     Brown was glad to see the Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s proposed budget released Wednesday included money for the program, though an approved budget remains many months away.

     The budget proposal adopted by the committee was $32.2 million less than the current year’s, and the bridge program was one of only a handful of areas targeted for an increase.

     Brown hopes further discussion might yield a deeper allocation for bridges.

     “More is always better,” Brown said.

     The uncertainty of the funding also hampers the efforts of supervisors, Brown said.

     “We can’t draw the plans until we know we’re getting the financing for it,” he said.

     Beyond the benefit to motorists, the District Four supervisor said ongoing bridge repair and replacement is important to local economies.

     The work brings business to local contractors and equipment suppliers and can provide local jobs.

     “It’s a necessity for Lincoln County,” Brown said.