The Demopolis City Council made the decision last week to repair the Jackson Street bridge instead of replacing it after being reassured the new repairs will last several years.

Decisions regarding the handling of the bridge problem have been lingering with the council during the past several months while they were awaiting cleaning of the bridge and an estimate of repair.

Some councilmen were leery of investing any additional funds into the bridge repair because the last repairs made on the bridge did not hold. Therefore, the council considered rebuilding the bridge, since this is the second time in three years it has come up for repairs due to state inspections.

The repairs will cost the city $150,000 plus engineering costs. But that cost is estimated to ensure the bridge for five to 10 years.

While we understand the bridge repair will be pricey, we also understand the significance of Jackson Street and the amount of traffic traveling the street each day. We agree with the council&8217;s decision to repair the bridge and keep this outlet to the western end of the city open.

We also agree with Mayor Cecil P. Williamson that the bid process for a new bridge would take too long and the action taken by the council was the best move for the city.