A bridge on 8^th Street has been closed for replacement.

The bridge is located near the athletic facilities on Ouachita Baptist University’s campus.

The City’s Board of Directors voted to replace the bridge at their July 19 meeting.

The sole bidder for the project was Southern State Construction. The Arkansas-based company recently replaced the Walnut Street bridge in the southern part of town.

“We were impressed with Southern State Construction’s work on the Walnut Street bridge,” Arkadelphia’s City Manager Gary Brinkley said. “They worked quickly to safely replace and reopen the bridge. We are confident they will deliver the same high-quality product on these new projects.”

In addition to the campus bridge, the Board of Directors voted to replace a bridge at MH Russell. Southern State Construction was the sole bidder for that project.

Work on the 8^th street campus bridge began Monday, July 25. Representatives from Southern State Construction anticipate the project will be completed by move-in on Friday, August 19.

In the meantime, residents are advised to use Carter Road to North 10^th Street or Elrod Boulevard to North 10^th Street as a detour until the bridge is reopened.