The Lorraine Road bridge, which connects Biloxi and Gulfport and spans the Biloxi River, will be closed to traffic for as long as six months beginning Jan. 4, as contractors continue making progress on having a wider, more efficient bridge in place for June.
Beginning Jan. 4, those traveling the Lorraine Road area will have to use a detour route that involves either Highway 605 or Interstate 10.
Contractors working on building a new Lorraine Road bridge are at the halfway point of the 250-work day, $7.5 million project. Workers are currently setting beams, forming and pouring pile caps and installing dirt on the eastern roadway.
The current 300-foot bridge will be replaced by a 3,060-foot bridge complete with approaches that move traffic more efficiently and safely.
Although the new bridge is expected to be in place in June, the overall Lorraine Road bridge project, is expected to be completed in October 2016. The project is being funded by the Office of State Aid Road Construction, a division of MDOT, along with matching funding provided by Biloxi, Gulfport  and Harrison County. Engineer on the project is Garner Russell & Associates, and the contactor is L&A Contracting.
See photos of the progress
See a map of detour routes
News and notes
The week that was: The Biloxi Fire Department responded to 100 calls for service last week, including 66 medical calls. Meantime, the Biloxi Police Department handled 2,461 calls for service. To see details on the week, in the archive of Weekly Reports, click here.
The week that is: The galaxy of local stars will be on full display Wednesday night at the Saenger for the annual “Sounds of the Holidays” musical extravaganza, and Santa Claus and his helpers will be telephoning boys and girls on Thursday and Friday for the city’s “North Pole Calling” program. Get details on these events more in the Christmas Calendar of events. To see the complete list, click here.
Council reminder: The Biloxi City Council meets twice on Tuesday, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Both sessions will be at City Hall and are open to the public. To see the complete agendas and supporting documents, click here.