NATCHEZ — Orange construction fences that have sectioned off a portion of the Natchez bluff for several months now should be replaced by an awe-inspiring view by summer.

The Bridge of Sighs — a walkway that will connect the two sides of the bluff currently separated by Roth Hill Road — is being constructed off site ahead of a March 9 delivery.

Drawings of the bridge have been approved by the City of Natchez, the Preservation Commission and the Mississippi Department of Transportation, City Engineer David Gardner said, and now work can begin.

After the bridge is set in place, the city will construct sidewalks going up to the structure, place landscape bids, paint and begin electrical work to install a light at the end of the structure.

The city is still working within its original $700,000 budget, Gardner said.

“We hope to get the bluff restored to its original elegance sometime after the bridge is erected in July… (The construction) is temporary, and it will be worth it,” Gardner said.

The deadline for finishing the project is in July.

Natchez Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said she hopes the bridge will aid in getting area residents to walk outside and take advantage of the scenery.

“We’re trying to be an exercise community, and I think the trail has prompted that quite a bit. The idea of having the Bridge of Sighs where you can walk across and look at the beauty of the Mississippi River and all that has been done there is just wonderful,” Arceneaux-Mathis said.

Currently the contractor, Dozer Incorporated, is preparing the site and getting ready to install the footings for the bridge.

These preparations will allow the city to place the bridge on the foundation when it arrives.

The new bridge was inspired by a historic bridge built at the site in the mid 1800s.

The project is funded by grants from the Federal Highway Administration and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

The project is being led by the Community Alliance as a part of the Natchez Trails Project.