 
Construction Harrison County's Concrete Boardwalk Underway by Keith Burton - GCN 11/3/08 Work has begun on the new boardwalk along the beach in Harrison County, but this time, it is being made of concrete instead of wooden planks. The initial work has begun just west of Long Beach and for all the world the supporting structure looks much like fortification designed to thwart an attack from the sea. The structure includes side and a southern facing walls, all of which are deeply set into the sand.
Weaver says the new concrete boardwalk will be built in all areas of
the beach where the previous wooden
Meanwhile, the county has completed the removal of the all of the former boardwalk and is nearly finished with debris removal from September's hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Weaver said that the debris has been moved into piles that are being picked up as the county's trucks can reach them. The work on U.S. 90 sometimes inhibits the county's ability to reach the piles, but Weaver said all of the debris should be gone by the end of the year. Additional Information:
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"This work
will definitely strengthen the aging seawall, " said Bobby Weaver,
director of the Harrison County Sand Beach Authority, which is overseeing
the work.
boardwalk was constructed. The total length is about 8 miles along the
26-mile beachfront. The
Pedestrian Pathway repair project, as it is called, costs just over $10
million. It is being paid for by FEMA. The county awarded the contract to
build the boardwalk this past summer to Coleman Hammons Construction
Company. The Brandon, MS. company is a major player of construction
projects in Mississippi. The boardwalk is expected to be completed by
December 2009.
Many Coast residents and visitors enjoyed the timber boardwalk that
stretched for long sections along the 26-mile length of the beach in
Harrison County, but residents always knew that the structure was
vulnerable to hurricanes. While the former boardwalk was stoutly constructed,
evidenced by the sections that remained after the hurricane, Katrina's storm
surge proved wood, even with a steel frame, was not the way to go.