Three builders are expected to bid on work to repair cracks and re-anchor beams above two support structures on the U.S. 80 bridge over the Mississippi River.

New Orleans-based Boh Brothers Construction Co., Columbia, Miss.-based T.L. Wallace Construction Co. and Shreveport, La.-based Shiloh Contractors Inc. were chosen from a list of six companies to perform the work, deemed emergencies three months ago. The arrival earlier in the week of designs and suggestions from G.E.C. enabled the decision, Superintendent Herman Smith said.

Baton Rouge-based G.E.C. is the commission’s contract firm for the purpose of emergency repairs and the 80-year-old rail bridge’s annual inspection. Designs submitted will address a cracked easterly floor beam and corroded cover plate above pier 5 and disjointed girders above a shorter concrete pier on the Louisiana side. Because the commission declared an emergency on the work, the five-member panel had a choice of choosing just one firm or sending the specifications to multiple firms.

A motion by commissioner Tom Hill specified the three firms’ experience with bridge maintenance jobs and frequency of bids. Three additional suggestions were Madison-based Key LLC, Falkner, Miss.-based Hill Brothers Construction and Madison, Wis.-based Osmose Railroad Services Inc.

Additional work on replacing 1,500 cross ties on the rail track is expected to be contracted out by Kansas City Southern Railway, commissioners said. Most of the work will take place on the Louisiana side.