Jackson Jambalaya

I hope the City of Jackson is not in charge of performing the inspection.

"Socrates Garrett inspection services"...........

And this very short section of infrastructure Ladies and Gentlemen is a fitting tribute to the utter smallness of the half-Mayor's regime and one of the biggest accomplishments to eek out from his paper bag of micro achievements.

I propose we dedicate the bridge the Chokwe Antar Lumumba Pom-paucity Span.

Bridge of Blowhard.

The bridge over troubled city.

"Inspection? We don't need no stinkin' inspection. The mayor said to open it before his presser."

How long does it take to conduct a final inspection? Or better, how long does it take the City of Jackson to schedule the conduction of a final inspection?

The bridge has been finished for several days; clearly the contractor felt it completed, because they opened it to traffic (something that many travelers in that area of Jackson have been wanting for years) and the contractor was trying to accommodate.

But - the City of Jackson, and what remains of its Public Works Department - are never in a rush to do anything to benefit the traveling public, or the vendors. (see City's reputation for timely payments of its contractors).

Maybe the PW Director can schedule an inspection sometime prior to the end of the year; according to what the Mayor has to say about the PW staff, they are always busy and have 'other things to do'.

But I guess I overstepped - we again don't have a Public Works Director for the Bold New City; or City with Soul; or whatever we are today. Maybe we can get an inspection scheduled once the search firm finds another candidate and he can do it within his first week, before he quits and gets the hell out of Dodge.

The right palms weren't greased. Once the grease is applied the inspection will immediately pass.

No, the inspection was done by Melinda McGrath (former MDOT Director) the problem is that someone previously told her the bridge needed to be replaced, so she held a press conference to use the bridge as an example of why MDOT needs $1.7 Billion more dollars. Turns out the bridge was brand new!

(this scenario literally happened but… muh women in STEM 🤣)

I’ve conducted many final inspections for bridges, usually spent 30 minutes or so for a bridge like that, but there would probably be paperwork involved with the city after the inspection to officially allow it to be opened, not sure of their process. A construction inspector would be there during construction, so during the final I would be looking for loose or missing bolts, improperly lapped guardrail, correct signage, etc. Fordice (contractor on this bridge) was hard to do finals for because they found and fixed everything prior to the final - it was hard to find anything wrong.

Will their be a party celebrating its completion and speeches to school children?? I think the bridge has been out since Sherman burned it, right???

Inspectors? Auditors? Who needs them? Amiright???

Will there be an awards ceremony with trophies? Everyone wins a trophy, right?

Gibberish 6:49! Paperwork after the final doesn’t affect the structural integrity. Someone just forgot the scissors and ribbon!!!

I don't think I've been down that stretch of road since the elder Lumumba was mayor. Glad to finally get that route back.

"I would be looking for loose or missing bolts, improperly lapped guardrail, correct signage, etc. Fordice (contractor on this bridge) was hard to do finals for because they found and fixed everything prior to the final - it was hard to find anything wrong."

Two things. One, so you're looking mostly for stuff that is irrelevant to whether the bridge will hold traffic, and Two, getting it built correctly actually makes inspection easier, not harder. Much easier.

Construction inspector here:

10:19, of course my inspection does not affect the structural integrity, although it could identify structural defects, but I can’t officially open the bridge as I’m getting in my truck leaving an inspection. I would go back to the office, notify the proper people, and usually the next day the road barricades would be taken down so traffic could resume.

8:14, two things. 1) I’m looking for everything including safety items. A bridge guardrail that is improperly lapped could peel off on impact and impale your car, and you, instead of simply crumpling and keeping you from running off the bridge. A bridge should not be opened to the public until those type things are verified or fixed. 2) I was being semi-sarcastic, sorry that went over your head. That particular contractor makes it very hard to find something wrong with their bridges. I hate to not put anything down on the final inspection form, but with them it’s harder to find stuff.

Everyone else should be glad real inspectors look at bridges before they are opened to public traffic instead of relying on basement dwelling keyboard warriors with Cheetos dust up to their wrists.

Another option to leave Jackson-

@ 9:19, this is 8:14. I've done construction inspections since the Reagan administration, so be careful what you assume or accuse.