The city’s infrastructure crews in east Biloxi are placing more asphalt these days than at any other time since the project began, and after the Christmas break, residents should expect to see entire blocks paved on a monthly basis.
That’s the word from Project Superintendent John Cowart, who this morning was overseeing the beginning of 3,000 tons of asphalt – about 136 huge truckloads – being applied to a half-dozen streets in east Biloxi north of Division Street.
“This is more asphalt we’ve laid down than during any other three days of this project,” Cowart said.
But while residents of Holley, Bowen, Garic, Fallo, Roy, Wink and Fallo streets may be pleased with the new curbing and four-inch-thick layer of asphalt, Cowart admits that much more is to be done.
“When we come back after the holidays, we’re looking to pave Holley south of Division, Keller north of Division, and now that design issues have been resolved on Laurel Court, we’re looking to finish curbing there and begin paving there.”
Of course the linchpin for the entire 55 miles of streets is Division Street, where an underground wiring from AT&T has halted work at Crawford Street.
Sewer lines, some as large as 42 inches and buried 22 feet below the ground, have been installed from Forrest to Hopkins and from Oak to Lee Street and water lines have been installed on 95 percent of Division.
“If AT&T has moved off Division by the end of December and design issues are resolved, we’ll be ready to install storm drains, which are not as labor intensive and go quicker, and add curbing,” Cowart said.
“The fact is,” he added, “outside of the two major rain events we have had recently, we’ve made more progress in the past three months than at any other time. What we’re doing is paving large blocks now, and that’s what we want people to see: Paving every couple of weeks and entire neighborhoods like we’re doing right now.”
And for those whose neighborhoods are still dirt roads? “Our message for the west end, around Seal and Hopkins and that area is we want to see that close in February or March. Our challenge is that we’re trying to turn off the current water system and energize the new one. That’s why we don’t have as large a footprint in that area, but we’re getting closer every day.”
Added Walt A. Rode, the city’s point person on infrastructure work: “The city looks forward to the contractor’s current efforts in east Biloxi and hopefully concurrent efforts after the first of the New Year to complete major roads.”
See video of this morning’s paving
See a map of the current phase of paving
