Opinion: Toll bridge will spur Biloxi economic development

The Popp’s Ferry Road Bridge must be replaced.

This is an important bridge with nearly 25,000 cars and trucks crossing it daily, but malfunctions and bridge failures are common. It is also a critical artery for hurricane evacuation.

City leaders have talked for decades about the problems with the bridge. They have attempted to find state and federal funds to replace the bridge, but the reality is that it is a conventional rebuild needing government funding. We have already been waiting a long time, and the bridge is an impediment to economic growth.

Fortunately, the city has found a much better option – one that can happen now – a toll bridge.

This is a private sector solution – a proposed toll project that would replace the draw bridge with a four-lane, fixed-span, 95-ft. high bridge with modest tolls. It will improve traffic efficiency, safety, emergency response and evacuation readiness. If approved by the City Council, the proposed toll bridge could be completed within the next four years, much faster than if we continue to talk and wait for government funding. The bridge would be built along-side the old bridge which would remain open during construction, a critical point that would keep first responders, commuters, and the community functional even during construction.

There would also be economic benefits for Biloxi like creating good paying jobs and ensuring reliable infrastructure that will benefit travelers and businesses for generations to come.

It’s a shame a growing city such as Biloxi has so much at risk every day because we have a functionally obsolete bridge that time and again proves it cannot service our basic needs.

A toll bridge is not simply the best way to replace the old Popp’s Ferry Bridge within the next decade, it is the only way.

Additionally, if the toll bridge were to be implemented, Biloxi residents would receive a discounted toll structure, and emergency, city and school vehicles will use the bridge with no fee. Remember the user will pay.

When I was chairman of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, our transportation committee came out with a vision for the MS Gulf Coast roads. One of these projects was for a new north-south connector at Popp’s Ferry. This was back in October of 2000.

This is an issue we can fix, and we should fix it now. I encourage the City Council to move forward with this project now.

The future of Popp’s Ferry Bridge is in our collective hands. If you want change, and you want it now, you should speak up. Let’s do our part in keeping Biloxi safe and economically strong. Call, write or email your City Council representative to support the new bridge project.

When it comes time for the public meetings, please attend and make your voice heard.

The toll bridge is not a new concept. I remember in the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s the Bay St. Louis toll bridge and the toll booth at Pascagoula.

Let’s move forward together.

Chevis Swetman is the president and CEO of People’s Bank.

This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 12:00 AM.