Deja vu: Popp’s Ferry bridge to close again

The Popp’s Ferry bridge will close again Friday night at 10 to allow contractors to connect the recently installed generator and switch to a landline power source.

The bridge will be closed beginning at 10 p.m. and is expected to re-open no later than 6 Saturday morning.

The work is part of a $1.27 million project to install a new generator and underwater cables to power the raising and lowering of the bridge’s span. The initial phases of the work involved manufacturing a generator and the power cable, which the contractor will be installing Friday night.

Christy LeBatard, the city’s director of engineering, says the bridge, which accommodates as many as 20,000 vehicles on an average day, will close two more times in the future as part of the project.

 

Thunderbirds drop in for a close-up look

The word is in from two Thunderbird pilots visiting Biloxi and Keesler this week: Those attending the Thunder over the Sound air show in May can expect to see Thunderbirds flying as fast as 600 mph, climbing as high as 15,000 feet and as low as 200 feet. And it’s all over the Biloxi beachfront.

Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich and Col. Lance Burnett, vice commander of the 81st Training Wing at Keesler, welcomed two Thunderbird pilots visiting Biloxi and Keesler Tuesday in anticipation of Thunder Over the Sound: The Keesler and Biloxi Air and Space Show.

The show takes May 4-5, 2019. Static displays and smaller air shows will be at Keesler in the morning hours while the Thunderbirds and other aerial acts will be along the beachfront, centered at White Avenue.
Video: A Keesler-Biloxi scheduling snafu?
Video: See the press conference
See the details on the air show

 

News & notes video bonus: West beach, a Christmas message

A good look: A newly commissioned city video of the West Beach Boardwalk is now making the rounds on Facebook. To take a look at the clip, which was shot and edited by John Lestrade of Take Two Video Pro, click here.

From the archives: It’s still one of our favorite videos, when A.J. Holloway played along for the cause. It’s a “Welcome to Biloxi/Christmas message” that was shown on the big screen during a break at a college basketball doubleheader at the Coast Coliseum in 2007.  See the 46-second spot by clicking here.

 

News & notes: Free library, traffic update

Little Free Library: The Donal M. Snyder Sr. Community Center now has a Little Free Library, thanks to Cable One. As part of a community service project, Cable One installed the library, a small wooden box of books, this afternoon.  The library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. To see an image of the library, click here.

Traffic update: The city’s Engineering Department each weekday morning posts updated traffic info. To see the Traffic page, with links to traffic cameras and traffic counts, click here.