US Highway 90 Construction Finally Complete

After 3 ½ years construction on a major Gulf Coast highway washed out by Katrina is finally completed. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports.

U.S. Highway 90 runs the length of the 60 miles of coastline in Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina all but wiped out a 28 mile stretch of that road referred to as Beach Blvd for its close proximity to the Gulf, between Bay St. Louis and Ocean Springs. Larry Brown is Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation,

“The highway was completely devastated; sections of the highway were completely blown away and washed away.”

The series of reconstruction projects to rebuild Highway 90 began in September of 2007, and at a ceremony held in Biloxi local and state officials celebrated the completion of the $94 million dollars in projects. The reconstruction projects have caused months of headaches for many Gulf Coast residents who use the stretch of road daily, and many have questioned the efficiency of the reconstruction.

“I guess the best analogy I could use is high school. When you’re in it seems like it took forever and when it’s over it seemed like it happened really fast.”

U.S. Congressmen Gene Taylor,

“In the case of rebuilding highway 90 certainly for awhile it seemed like it would never happen, and then once it was done, it seemed like a remarkable feat.”

And Congressmen Taylor says the highway isn’t just a major traffic artery, but something unique,

“You go to a lot of other places around the country you don’t get to see the actual body of water from the highway. Here we have that magnificent open beach, and I think we have some of the most phenomenal views in America.”