City re-opens Lighthouse Pier; other plans moving forward

The Lighthouse Pier, an 865-foot structure that was a favorite with fishermen before Katrina, is now open to the public, and it’s only part of the news regarding piers and waterfront access in Biloxi.

On Wednesday, the city will receive bids on a multi-million-dollar project to remove remnants of the Back Bay and Point Cadet fishing bridges and construct a new fishing bridge at Point Cadet, and on Thursday the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will be hearing the city’s plans to restore and improve the finger piers and boat ramp at Kuhn Street in east Biloxi.

The Lighthouse Pier, meantime, is the fifth pier that the city has re-opened since Katrina. Others are the Coliseum Pier, and the Forest Avenue, Porter Avenue North and Old Ice Wharf, all of which are on Back Bay.

The Lighthouse Pier, located directly south of the city’s signature landmark, features a gazebo and lowered fishing deck at its end, and is lit to enhance nighttime fishing. The city used $332,000 in federal funds to construct the Lighthouse Pier.

To read more about the Kuhn Street ramp proposals, click here.

To read more about the Point Cadet fishing bridge, click here.

News and notes

Traffic update: Inbound traffic on the I-110 highrise north of Biloxi was backed up for more than a mile today as work continued on replacing the steel deck of the bridge’s draw. Motorists are advised to avoid the area or use alternate routes. To see today’s Traffic Update from the Public Works Department,

Webcasting: David Staehling, the city’s Director of Administration and longtime protégé of Mayor A.J. Holloway, discusses the city’s pending infrastructure work and an array of other issues in the City Desk webcast. To listen to the 19-minute program, click here.