The pedestrian walkway between the Beau Rivage and the Beau Rivage employee parking garage will be hoisted into place tonight beginning at midnight, when U.S. 90 will close at Caillavet Street for as long as five hours, until as late as 5 o’clock Wednesday morning.
Biloxi police will close U.S. 90 at Seal Avenue and Reynoir Street. Motorists should travel a block northward to Howard Avenue to avoid the construction, which is being funded by the state and overseen by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Biloxi Patrol Commander Maj. Ron Lessner added that although I-110 southbound to U.S. 90 will remain open, the exit to east U.S. 90, which loops over the water, will be closed during the work.
MDOT contractors using cranes will have five hours to raise and install the 160-foot-long prefabricated steel truss, which will span nine lanes of U.S. 90 at Caillavet. The free-standing pedestrian bridge, which will have elevators and stairwells at both ends, will be at the height of the third floor of the Beau Rivage parking garage on its southern end and at the height of the second floor of the employee garage on its northern end. At its lowest point, the overpass will be 24 feet above the highway.
Construction of the pedestrian overpass and the adjoining employee parking garage were requirements of the agreement for the city to construct MGM Park on Beau Rivage property at the corner of U.S. 90 and Caillavet Street.
The city, meantime, is in the early phases of construction of another pedestrian overpass on U.S. 90, east of Main Street. It will connect two new U.S. 90 hotels, the Watermark and Hilton Garden Inn, and the area surrounding the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor south of the highway.
Gallery: See the work site
See the plan and elevation of the walkway
See info and rendering for the harbor walkway
A look back at the week that was
The city’s Community Development Department, where construction is now running more than $30 million ahead of this time last year, reported 75 building permits totaling $2.47 million last week. The Fire Department responded to 140 calls for service and the Police Department handled more than 2,144 calls for service, prompting 108 arrests for the week.
And City Engineer Christy LeBatard, in her five-page report, has the status of dozens of improvement projects throughout the city.
See details in the Weekly Report archive
News & notes: Caught on camera
Christmas on the Water children’s walking parade: To see images of the walking parade on Friday night, click here.
Christmas on the Water boat parade photos: To see images from the Christmas on the Water parade on Saturday night, click here.
See video of boat parade: You can watch the entire Christmas on the Water parade – 30 minutes in all – on the city’s YouTube channel by clicking here.
Saenger gift: A retired Air Force colonel who now lives near St. Louis, Mo. and was involved in the 1978 restoration of the Saenger was in town over the weekend and had a gift for the theater. Hear his story on the city’s YouTube channel by clicking here.
Elks visit: The Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks, on a tour of lodges across the country, was in Biloxi over the weekend to attend the Mississippi Elks Lodge convention. Michael T. Luhr also dropped by City Hall, where Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich proclaimed the occasion as “Elks Care, Elks Share Weekend.” To see photos, click here.
Main Street crossing issue: A tractor-trailer became lodged atop the CSX crossing at Main Street Friday afternoon, prompting a response from Biloxi police, who warned CSX of the issue, to dispatch a tow truck to remove the vehicle and cite the tractor-trailer driver for failing to obey traffic signs. To see photos from the incident, click here.
News & notes: City Council, traffic
City Council: The Biloxi City Council will hold its first meeting of the month tonight at 6 at Biloxi City Hall. To see the complete agenda, click here.
Traffic: To see the latest traffic advisories and road closures, click here.
