Mississippi State Aid road engineers closed the bridge on Zollingers Hill spanning Glass Bayou Friday.

City public works director Garnet Van Norman announced the closing at the opening of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s meeting Friday morning.

“We were notified this morning to immediately close Zollingers Road bridge; they deemed it unsafe, so at this point, all we can do is close it,” he said.

John McKee with Stantec said State Aid closed the bridge for structural reasons. He said he had not seen the detailed report on the bridge problem, but added it mentioned the bridge had structural problems; “There’s one piling in particular they thought had issues, and some others weren’t exactly right.”

McKee said Stantec engineers have looked at the bridge “and we don’t necessarily agree with all the findings. We’re asking for a review and a chance to meet with whoever made that inspection out there and look at it.”

He said Stantec inspects the bridge every two years.

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield on Friday also pointed out another hazard on Zollingers Hill — people driving the wrong way on the one-way street that runs between Skyfarm Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“There are big signs, one on either side, that say, ‘Do not enter,’ Mayfield said.

“That is one of the most dangerous things you can do coming off Zollingers Hill, going down hill. There are two big signs that have been up there for years.”

He said he has seen many people drive on the street the wrong way.

“If you come down a one-way street, and God forbid that you kill somebody or injure somebody seriously, you will never, as long as you live, get out from under that. So for those of you coming down Zollingers Hill, I am asking you to please not do that.

“That is a one-way street and you’re jeopardizing your life and anybody who might come up the hill. “You can’t see when you’re coming off; your vehicle’s straight in the air, and by the time you start down, it’s too late.”