‘Against a lot of odds,’ Gulfport’s $18.7M overpass bridge across US 90 comes to life
What started as a drawing on a napkin at a lunch about nine years ago is now a multi-faceted development that is one of the largest economic drivers in Gulfport, city leaders say, and the next phase begins now.
Officials on Monday broke ground on the $18.7 million tram bridge that will cross over U.S. 90 and connect Jones Park with the Mississippi Aquarium.
Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes and the city council, along with officials from the Coast Transit Authority, Mississippi Department of Transportation and Eley Guild Hardy Architects, put on hard hats and shoveled the first scoops of dirt at the site, located between the aquarium, the restored building that is a CTA station and aquarium offices.
The bridge will offer a tram service and have lanes for pedestrians and bicycles, said Kevin Coggin, CTA executive director.
The idea for the tram bridge came as part of a 2013 brainstorm session between Coggin, Biloxi architect David Hardy and Gulfport Councilman Rusty Walker.
In 2013, the trio met for lunch to figure out how to get more people to park in the garage behind the destroyed historic library.
“We thought we had lost too much in downtown Gulfport,” Hardy said at the groundbreaking on Monday. “Let’s put something back.”
Anchored by the library, the trio drew up mock plans on a napkin that included a transit center and an aquarium. By the time the master plan was pitched in 2014, a $6 million tram was part of the development.
The tram is a “keystone” part of the project, “tying together two of the greatest assets of downtown Gulfport,” Hardy said.
Risks after Hurricane Katrina
Hewes said many doubted Gulfport’s downtown redevelopment after Hurricane Katrina, calling it a “road to nowhere.”
There was debate over whether to tear down the library that opened in 1967. Coggins, Walker, Hardy, Hewes and others fought to save it.
“This entire campus … is what it looks like when a community comes together against a lot of odds,” Hewes said Monday.
Hewes worried the tram bridge was not going to happen. The cost for the project doubled due to supply chain issues. But many who dedicated funds to the development pitched in more to bring the tram to life.
“This is truly the beginning of the beginning of where Gulfport really starts to step up and promote the standards that we’ve been striving toward for quite some time,” Hewes said. “It’s not a road to nowhere, it’s a road to more opportunity. It’s a launching pad.”
How the tram is funded
Funding for the tram comes from these sources:
- CTA
- Federal Transit Authority competitive grants
- Federal transit funds championed by Sen. Roger Wicker
- MDOT
- The City of Gulfport (funds dedicated from internet sales tax revenue)
Additionally, Gov. Tate Reeves is dedicating $1 million of RESTORE Act funding for the bridge.
Councilman Rusty Walker said the tram bridge, along with the Mississippi Aquarium, makes Gulfport a better place for residents.
“The goal is quality of life,” he said. “Gulfport is a place that cares about your family and your quality of life.”
Hewes said the tram is going to be an elegant design and welcomed addition to growth in downtown.
“This is going to be probably going to be one of the most remarked overpasses in America.”
Hardy said construction will take about 2 years.
This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 11:58 AM.
