Endom Bridge Closed Indefinitely

There is still no definite date on when the Endom Bridge connecting the Twin Cities will reopen. The bridge was closed more than 2 months ago after it was struck by lightening. But, some residents and business owners say that its been closed too long. Jill Gabb owns a restaurant at foot of the Endom Bridge in West Monroe. She says since the bridge has been closed traffic into her restaurant has been down. Steven dollar owns a restaurant on the Monroe side of the bridge. He says he’s just ready for the bridge to open. Dollar says customers keep asking when the bridge can be used again. Kirk Gillian works for the Department of Transportation and Development. He says theyre not even sure when the bridge will reopen. Gillian says theres a long process to getting the parts needed for the bridge repairs. Gillian says the drives are what theyre waiting for. And he says each one of those drives will cost $50 thousand each. That brings the total cost of repairs to 2 hundred thousand dollars. Kirk Gillian says cost for the repairs will come from the state emergency fund. But, he says dont expect the bridge to be open next week. Gillian says at best it will be another 3 months before you can cross the Ouachita River using the Endom Bridge.