When will the bridge work in Pearlington start? No one seems to know.

The bridge replacement project on Highway 90 in Pearlington is not currently scheduled by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

LDOT Communications Director Rodney Mallett said the $250 million project does not even have a project number. The state does not have the funding in place for the project, he said.

The bridge in Pearlington — and four others in Louisiana — were closed in 2022, because they were no longer safe. However, the route, used by 3,000 cars a day, is also a hurricane evacuation route.

And, Mallett said, I-10, which is just a few miles north, is an alternate route.

An advisory on the MDOT map shows the bridge closing in May of 2022 with an estimated project completion of 2028. Mallett said the date is just a placeholder and there is no estimated date for completion because the project has not even been started.

Mallett said the project is not just the bridge at the Mississippi-Louisiana state line. It is a replacement project for five bridges on Highway 90 in Louisiana that begins with the bridge in Pearlington.

Louisiana and Mississippi have several bridges that cross state lines and the states share responsibilities. The Pearlington bridge is in Louisiana’s jurisdiction.