Gosh, They are Short!
First of Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr's "Decorative" Street Lights Appears on U.S. 90

Photos and Story by Keith Burton  -  GCN  11/15/07

Gulfport Residents who have waited since hurricane Katrina for Gulfport to relight U.S.90 have some hope now that it will actually happen. Here are your first photos of the "decorative" lights that Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr has long desired.

This lone light appeared late yesterday near the Cowan Road intersection on the beach highway.

Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr has long promised that his city will have decorative lights and poles to add character and distinction to Gulfport. That is what is being installed, though GCN has not been able to determine whether they were ordered from China. Warr took a trip to the Far East earlier this year with part of his mission to examine street lights manufactured in that country.

A delay surfaced early into the project when the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) told the city that the poles and lights would have to be approved by the Federal Highway Administration to meet federal highway standards for wind resistance, brightness and breakaway in case of accidents.

The new lights are not high from the road, as are typical of highway street lights. The cabs of tall busses and trucks will be just below the globe level. The globes themselves appear to be oversized when compared to the pole supports.

The work on the lights, which began in August, is costing the city $2.1 million dollars. The project will place lights from Debuys Road to Lewis Avenue near the Long Beach city limits. The contractor for the project is B&B Electrical & Utility Contractors, Inc.

As Federal disaster recovery funds for such projects are typically approved for only replacement costs, not enhancements, it appears that Gulfport is paying for the "decorative" lights with some of its own money.

Biloxi has long had most of its lights along U.S. 90 replaced since the hurricane. It used the "cobra-style" lights that were used prior to the storm. If Gulfport had used such lights, it could have long had the roadway lit at night. Even so, motorists and residents may see the roadway lit by the end of this year, but not as soon as Warr wanted. Warr announced two weeks ago that there was a delay with the concrete supports that slowed the work and would likely keep the City from hanging Christmas decorations on them. Still, with this first light on the roadway, his goal may yet be possible.