All 91 lights on the 4,700-foot long Point Cadet Fishing Bridge are being replaced with sturdier, more weather-resistant LED lights.
In fact, the manufacturer of the fixtures is now designing mounting brackets specifically for the bridge, which is a popular daytime and nighttime fishing spot.
“This pier is probably the most-used and most popular pier on the Gulf Coast,” said Larry Sablich whose Port Division oversees the city’s public piers, harbors and marina. “The big appeal of the Point Cadet pier is that you can drive up on it. It’s well-used and well worth everything the city had to do after Katrina to build it back.”
And the repair of the lights, Sablich said, will be welcome news to those who fish off the pier. “Fishermen know the importance of those lights and we apologize that it’s taken this long for comprehensive repairs. These lights light up that whole area, and good fishermen know that the lights attract the bait fish, which attract the big fish. I know our Engineering Department will get those lights up and running as soon as possible.”
Weaver Electric has been awarded a $166,000 contract to install the new mounting brackets and light-emitting diodes, more commonly known as LEDs. The city’s Engineering Department will issue a notice to proceed once the specially fitted brackets arrive.
The city had dedicated the FEMA-funded $9 million concrete pier in 2013 after the original structure, which was part of U.S. 90 and once connected Biloxi and Ocean Springs, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The pier, tucked between the Palace Casino and the resort’s parking garage, features two 11-foot vehicle lanes bordered by two five-foot, ADA-accessible sidewalks; and vehicle turnarounds at the halfway point and at the end of the bridge.
Gallery: Point Cadet Fishing Bridge, Katrina and beyond
News & notes: Weekly review, Eagle Point, City Hall, CSX
Weekly review: Last week, the Biloxi Police Department responded to 2,189 calls for service, made 239 traffic spots and checked 141 buildings. You can get the 411 on other key city departments in the Weekly Review. To see the archive of reports, click here.
Eagle Point: A groundbreaking ceremony is in the works for a new city park planned at Eagle Point, a park that Councilmember Nathan Barrett says will be second in size only to Hiller Park. Look for details in the next week or so.
City Hall: Results from nearly 50 COVID-19 tests of city staff are expected Wednesday or early Thursday and will help determine when doors to the public would be re-opened at City Hall. The three-story downtown Biloxi building closed to walk-in traffic Monday after an employee tested positive for the virus. To see background, click here.
CSX: Crews from CSX closed the Eisenhower Drive rail crossing in West Biloxi this morning at 5 for repairs, and the crossing is expected to re-open Wednesday at 5 a.m. To see the weekday Traffic Update, click here.
