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After Nearly Two Years of Waiting, Highway 149 Strong River Bridge Is Finally Ready to Reopen
By Sue Honea with a little help from AI
There are some road projects that are simply construction projects.
And then there are those that become part of a community’s story.
The replacement of the Strong River bridge on State Route 149 in D’Lo is certainly one of those.
After a long and difficult journey, residents will soon have the opportunity to celebrate the completion of the new bridge — and the reopening of an important connection through Simpson County.
According to an invitation from Mississippi Transportation Commissioners Charles Busby and Willie Simmons and the Mississippi Department of Transportation, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 1 p.m. The ceremony will take place at the north end of the State Route 149 bridge over the Strong River, with parking available at the nearby D’Lo Water Park.
But getting to this point has been anything but easy.
The original bridge was closed to traffic on September 18, 2024, as part of a project to replace aging bridges along State Route 149. The project was already an important infrastructure undertaking for the area when tragedy struck on October 16, 2024.
During demolition work on the Strong River bridge, a portion of the structure collapsed. Three construction workers lost their lives and four others were injured.
The men who died were Charles Badger, Kevin Malone and Charles Igleharte.
Their deaths forever changed the story of this bridge.
In 2025, the Mississippi Legislature designated the Strong River Bridge as the Badger-Malone-Igleharte Memorial Bridge, honoring the three men who lost their lives in the October 16, 2024, collapse.
That designation serves as a permanent reminder that this is more than concrete, steel and asphalt.
It represents lives lost, families changed and a community that watched a difficult chapter unfold.
The bridge replacement was part of a larger State Route 149 project. MDOT reported in February 2025 that the overall project included four bridges and that the project was expected to be completed in 2027.
For the people who travel Highway 149 regularly, however, the Strong River bridge has represented something much more immediate: a long detour, inconvenience, changing traffic patterns and a daily reminder of how much we depend on the roads and bridges that connect our communities.
Now, nearly two years after the closure, there is finally a reason to celebrate.
A bridge reopening — and a community moving forward
The ribbon cutting will mark the opening of a new bridge, but it will also mark the closing of a difficult chapter.
There will undoubtedly be excitement when traffic once again crosses the Strong River on Highway 149.
There will also be memories.
Some people will remember the inconvenience of the detours. Others will remember watching the construction progress. And many will remember October 16, 2024, and the men whose lives were lost there.
Perhaps the most meaningful way to look at Tuesday’s ceremony is to recognize all of those things at once.
We can celebrate the bridge while remembering the people.
We can be grateful for the workers who built it.
We can appreciate the engineers, contractors, first responders and MDOT personnel who have been part of this long process.
And we can remember Charles Badger, Kevin Malone and Charles Igleharte.
Their names are now permanently connected to this bridge and to the history of Simpson County.
So, when the ribbon falls on September 8 and the first vehicles begin crossing the Strong River, it won’t simply be another road opening.
For many, it will be a moment of relief.
For others, it will be a moment of remembrance.
And for everyone who travels Highway 149, it will be a welcome sign that after a long road, we are finally moving forward.
September 8, 2026 — 1:00 p.m.
Strong River Bridge — State Route 149, D’Lo, Mississippi
Come celebrate the opening of a new bridge, remember those whose lives were lost, and mark an important new chapter for Simpson County.
Read MageeNews.com’s earlier coverage of the Strong River bridge collapse
MageeNews.com is the source of news and views for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
