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After Five-Year Closure, Bidding Process Underway To Replace Freedom Road Bridge In Century
September 10, 2025
The Freedom Road bridge in Century has been closed for five and a half years, and bids are finally being accepted for a replacement bridge.
“I’m excited about it. My big thing is removing the delays for EMS, the fire department, and school buses. It’s about safety,” Mayor Ben Boutwell said Tuesday afternoon. “It will also mean convenience for residents there. They will have their street back.”
On January 29, 2020, the town suddenly closed the bridge on Freedom Road, just east of Jefferson Avenue. Photos obtained by NorthEscambia.com a few days later showed the dangerous conditions that led to the emergency closure. Several pilings under the wooden bridge were no longer properly supporting the structure, and some of the pilings were split or had extreme deterioration (pictured left and below).
On Tuesday, the town held a pre-bid conference with two contractors interested in bidding on the construction of a replacement bridge. Bids are due by October 7.
Century received a nearly $1.257 million legislative appropriation for a new Freedom Road bridge, and about $1 million remains for construction after project design and permitting, according to the town’s engineer, Dale Long.
Construction will begin in very late 2025 or very early 2026. The project is set to be completed within 280 days of start, which would put the new bridge in place in the second half of 2026.
The big delay in the project to date, according to officials, was waiting for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.
File photos/graphics for and by NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
2 Responses to “After Five-Year Closure, Bidding Process Underway To Replace Freedom Road Bridge In Century”
It’s about time this bridge is fixed.
You wouldn’t think, that one little road would make such a difference. But I assure you it really does.
Thank you…
Once they open this back up–do they plan on having cops there more often to help with they people flying through there with all the loud music? Has been nice not having all that going on–peaceful.