City progressing on stimulus projects

One of Biloxi’s traffic improvement projects being funded with federal stimulus money, the addition of lighting on a mile-long stretch of new Highway 67, should be wrapping up in several weeks, and another project, to add a turning lane to Division Street at I-110, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2011.

In all, the city received about a million dollars in American Recovery Act funding, known as stimulus funding, for three projects: repaving and sidewalk repairs on Beauvoir Road, a $275,000 project that was completed weeks ago; $475,000 to add a turning lane for westbound traffic and to make other improvements on Division Street at I-110; and $206,000 to install lighting for a section of Mississippi 67 currently in the northernmost part of the city.

The Division Street work, which began last week, will include an upgrade to traffic signals and sidewalks at Bohn Street and Hopkins Boulevard. The work is scheduled to be completed in February.

The Mississippi 67 work will see the installation of 33 40-foot-tall aluminum light poles and underground wiring in the center median of the four-lane highway, which connects Biloxi to U.S. 49 near the northern Harrison County border with Stone County. Nearly all poles are in place — only four more remain to be installed at the Tchouticabouffa River bridge — and all are expected to be turned on around Thanksgiving.

News and notes

English-learning fair: Biloxi Public Schools will host the second “Celebrating English Language Learning” information fair on Thursday between 5 and 6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium at Biloxi Junior High School. For more information, click here.

Fair warning: Party at the Point, an extravaganza to recognize the progress at Point Cadet Marina, takes place this weekend. For a quick preview of this event and others — Fall Muster at Beauvoir and Puttin’ on the Roux on the Town Green — click here.