The old Highway 42 bridge spanning the swollen waters of the Chickasawhay River had seen plenty of floods during the decades it stood, but the rushing river filled by rains from Tropical Storm Cindy was too much for the structure to endure any longer.
The span had been abandoned since 1966, the road deck had been removed, and it was nothing but a local landmark straddling the Wayne/Greene County line. But the folks who regularly travel the river via boat, canoe and kayak say they’ll miss the old bridge.
Current forecasts show the Chickasawhay River will crest at Leakesville on Wednesday at 29.5 feet, just shy of the most recent high-water mark of 30 feet in March of last year.
As of this writing, there are no reports as to whether or not the collapse will impede traffic on the river.
Photo by Craig Hanchey, bridgehunter.com
