Computer system to blame for drawbridge malfunctions

GULFPORT -- A failing computer system is causing the drawbridge on Lorraine Road over the Industrial Seaway to fail periodically.

It happened twice in six days recently, leaving the spans in the upright position and snarling traffic for hours.

A fix is coming, but it may take several weeks to complete. In the meantime, drivers using that route will be taking a chance that the next time the bridge opens, it won’t close right away.

Kelly Castleberry, MDOT district engineer, said Wednesday the state Transportation Commission approved up to $500,000 to fix the problem. The cost could be more, or less.

Castleberry said they will bring in a computer expert to rework the system. He expects that work to begin next week and last for at least two weeks.

“We’re still operating it as we usually do,” opening the draw for boat traffic, he said. But when the computer misreads the hydraulics and stops the bridge from closing, MDOT crews have to go out and override the computer to close it.

He said they have to be careful not to damage any of the pumps or other equipment in a manual override.

“That’s why it takes awhile to get it down,” he said.

Last Thursday it opened at 2:20 p.m. and closed about 5 p.m. On Tuesday, it was stuck open in the morning, but was closed by 7:30 a.m.

In between those two breakdowns, Castleberry said, it opened and closed about a dozen times without a hitch.

He said the repairs will be to replace the computer system that tells the hydraulics what to do. And workers may have to replace some pumps that have already been damaged.

During the repairs, work will be done at night as often as possible to have less impact on traffic, he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of synchronization issues,” he said. “Adjusting and readjusting until we fine tune it.

“If it raises and gets stuck as it has, we’ll notify the public.”

Less than a decade old

Problems with the 9-year-old bridge happened quickly, Castleberry said, “and we had to just jump on it quickly.”

The bridge was completed late in 2002, built because MDOT widened Cowan-Lorraine Road.

“It’s not that old,” said Gabe Faggard, area engineer for MDOT.

Bridges usually last 50 years, but with drawbridges, there are moving parts that require more routine maintenance and annual inspections for defects.

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