$9.6 million bike and walking trail will link two MS Coast cities. Will people use it?
A $9.6 million federal grant will build a bike and walking route from Gautier to downtown Ocean Springs.
The grant announced Wednesday to reconnect communities will pay for construction of an 8.75 mile path along U.S. 90 from Washington Avenue (Mississippi 609) in Ocean Springs to Dolphin Drive in Gautier, just west of Gautier-Vancleave Road.
The multi-use path along one side of the highway is part of the already announced project to widen U.S. 90 from four to six lanes in the same area.
Bids for the projects will be awarded in late summer 2024, said Anna Ehrgott, public information officer for Mississippi Department of Transportation.
“This project will take a couple of years to complete after construction begins,” she said.
Other features of the widening project include a “superstreet design” with j-turns that are used in Louisiana and other states. They require drivers to turn right onto the main road in some locations and make a U-turn to go in the opposite direction.
What’s the project
The new path would make it possible for people to bike to the festivals in downtown Ocean Springs, where parking can be a challenge, and to shows at the new Sound Amphitheater in Gautier if they have night gear to ride back after dark.
“We’re very excited that we got it,” said Samuel Goff, communications manager for Gautier. The city wrote a letter of support for the application, prepared by Neel Schaffer, to secure the grant.
U.S. 90 in that part of Jackson County has high traffic volumes of 40,000 vehicles a day in some spots.
That amount of traffic and high speeds on U.S. 90 in that area make the road unsafe for bicyclists, according to the press release.
Fifteen accidents involving pedestrians or bicyclists were reported between 2018 and 2022, the press release said, and the new path would provide a safe connection between the two cities.
Wednesday’s press release from President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. doesn’t provide any information about where the bike path will be built — north or south of U.S. 90. Much of the land between the center of Gautier and just past Mississippi 57 is undeveloped. From there to downtown Ocean Spring, the highway is lined with businesses on both sides.
Will bikers use the path?
“It’s a big deal for us,” said Bart Luther, co-owner with Daniel Wijdenes of Biloxi Bicycle Works on Howard Avenue in downtown Biloxi.
There are lots of local bikers, he said, and bicycle tourism is becoming very popular in South Mississippi.
On Wednesday he had people from Michigan, Louisiana and North Dakota in the shop — at the same time and all asking the same question: “Where do we ride our bikes?”
Biloxi Bicycle Works has a ride planned this weekend that Luther expects will draw more than 100 people, many of whom will stay in a hotel overnight, boosting the local economy.
“It’s getting to be a big draw,” he said.
Gulf Coast Bicycle Club recently had a ride in Wiggins and 400 cyclists showed up, he said.
Luther said his shop also has a free bike valet tent at events in Biloxi so people can ride to the site, safely leave their bicycles and then ride home.
“We’re really trying to promote that,” he says.
Coastal Mississippi website provides a short list of places where people can ride and hike besides on the sidewalk along the beach. One popular spot, Gulf Islands National Seashore, is along the route where the new bike trail will run.
The new bike route to Washington Avenue will make it easier for cyclists to cross the Biloxi Bay Bridge into Biloxi, where he said a newly-approved bike lane will run from the bridge to Porter Avenue.
The bike path grant for South Mississippi is among projects awarded to 130 communities in 41 states and Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
