Mississippi Gulf Coast officials recently gathered in Pass Christian for the groundbreaking of a $2.5 million sector of a new pedestrian walkway.
On April 5, mayors from cities across the Coast celebrated the beginning of phase one of four of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Pedestrian Walkway, which will begin off the West Harbor in Pass Christian. By the end of construction, the beachside walkway will stretch over 20 miles throughout Harrison County and end in Biloxi.
Pass Christian Mayor Jimmy Rafferty called the walkway an important step in further connecting coastal cities while giving thanks to those who are making it happen, including city departments, boards, and Covington Engineering Company.
“Well, this is our first year. We’ve got the first $2.5 million grant. This is the first of four and then hopefully, we’ll get three successive grants and then Pass Christian will be done and then we’ll be a big supporter of Long Beach, Gulfport, and all the way to Biloxi,” Rafferty said.
During the groundbreaking event, a televised speech from Gov. Tate Reeves was played with the Republican noting how important livelihood on the Coast is to Mississippi. Gen. Joe Spraggins, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, followed with an address on how the project came to be.
“We started looking into ways we could do this project last year, a 10-foot (wide) sidewalk that would stretch across the Coast,” Spraggins explained. “Additionally, we wanted to put a ridge over it about 18 inches high to help stop sand from blowing on the highway. We spend tens of millions of dollars a year trying to prevent that on the Coast. This is a way we want to help tourism on the Coast.”
Spraggins further conveyed how this is a Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) project and was funded as part of the Highway 90 Hurricane Mitigation Improvements. The project will end at the Biloxi Bridge as Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich and company initiated the project with a $5.9 million grant in 2019.
