City contractors have been installing Road Construction signs on Irish Hill Drive this week, signaling the March 9 start date of re-paving of the three-mile stretch of Irish Hill from Veterans to Porter Avenue.
The work is Phase I of a three-phase project that will also see the re-surfacing of the south end of Popp’s Ferry and the entire stretch of Pass Road in Biloxi. The overall $2.58 million project is being funded by the federal government.
The Irish Hill re-surfacing is expected to be completed by the end of March, when contractors will move to Popp’s Ferry Road, where they will resurface the stretch of roadway from the Popp’s Ferry bridge to Pass Road. The final stretch of paving will involve all of Pass Road and will begin by April, once the Popp’s Ferry work is completed..
“The Irish Hill work will begin at Veterans Avenue and move eastward,” said City Engineer Damon Torricelli. “No detours are planned for any of the phases of this project, and the plan is to work on one lane at a time, so people should use an alternate route if possible.”
Although plans are for the Irish Hill work to be done during the daytime, Torricelli said the work could be moved to nighttime if traffic becomes too congested.
“On Popp’s Ferry Road and Pass Road, we’re going to be working at night to avoid tying up traffic during the day,” Torricelli said. “We’ll begin work after the afternoon rush hour, probably about 6:30 or 7:30 p.m. and work through the night.”
The city had delayed the paving work until U.S. 90 work was complete.
Weekend entertainment: Big names and more
You’ll find headliners galore and plenty to see and do this weekend. The city’s Arbor Day Run, Walk and Roll takes place Saturday in downtown Biloxi; there’s a tree giveaway at Hiller Park; and the Gulf Coast Garden and Patio Show fills the Coast Coliseum.
Entertainment stages in Biloxi also will be brimming with entertainment this weekend. Olivia Newton-John headlines at the Beau Rivage, Trace Adkins and Kelli Pickler have shows at the IP, Hinder and Theory of a Deadman play the Hard Rock, and Jeff Dunham brings his show to the Coast Coliseum.
For details on these events and others taking place this weekend, click here.
News and notes
City Council meeting: The Biloxi City Council faces two meetings on Tuesday, an 11 a.m. briefing on the city’s pending infrastructure work, and a 1:30 afternoon meeting. To see the agendas for both meetings, click here.
Magnificent Marlin: Sculptor Marlin Miller spent his post-Mardi Gras days applying finishing touches to his egrets and whale’s tale sculpture south of the Biloxi cemetery. To see the latest photos of Marlin at work, click here.
Election news: To see the latest list of candidates for municipal office and other election info, click here.
