Katie Phillips waves to a passer-by while fishing in Deer Creek Wednesday near the closed walking bridge connecting Pine Street and North First Street in Rolling Fork.(Melanie Duncan Thortis The Vicksburg Post)

[3/8/04]ROLLING FORK Like the two creeks that run through this small South Delta town, the wooden walking bridges that connect divided streets are a part of the town’s novelty.

“We’re really unique,” said Billy Johnson, Rolling Fork’s public works director for 32 years before retiring in 2002. “Not many towns have these bridges.”

The town’s nearly 70-year-old walking bridges are built over the Deer and Rolling Fork creeks, both of which run smack through the town of 2,500 people. And though the creeks are a mainstay, one may be torn down because of disrepair.

The four walking bridges connect Pine and North First streets, McLaurin Avenue and Parkway Street and Parkway and South First Streets.

The bridge connecting Pine and North First is the most dilapidated. Others have had repair work over the past two years.

Some city officials say the city doesn’t have enough money to complete repairs.

“They have enough to do a little bit of repair, but not enough to completely repair it,” said City Clerk Dorothy Pearson.

The city’s engineer, who has estimated the cost of repairs, did not return calls.

For now, plywood covers entrances to the bridge with “No Trespassing” signs hung on each end.

For neighborhood kids who walk to a nearby store or home from school, the closure means a longer walk.

“The bridges are a quick way to get where I’m going,” said 14-year-old Julie Clark, who lives on Pine Street near the bridge.

She’s grown up on the street and has fished on and ridden her bike with her brother across the bridge too many times to count.

And another resident who lives near the creek, Johnny Ferguson, 40, is assuming the city will repair the bridges.

“We used to use them a lot, but as they got more and more shabby, people quit using them,” he said. “If they fix it, it will be an easier way to get around.”

Ferguson also spent a lot of time as a child on the bridge.

“We used to sit on the bridges and throw rocks into the creek,” he said.

Though the city’s budget may be stretched thin, Johnson holds out hope that money will come through.

“I love this city, and I certainly believe our city will do what it takes to rebuild this bridge.”