by Keith Burton - GCN  5/1/08

Concrete will soon replace the Katrina-destroyed beach boardwalk along U.S. 90 in Harrison County. The Harrison County Board of Supervisors this week awarded the Pedestrian Pathway repair project to Coleman Hammons Construction Company. The company is a major player of construction projects in Mississippi.

The company, based in Brandon, Mississippi, will replace the old timber boardwalk with a new concrete walkway. The total cost of the project is more than $10 million. Work should begin within 30 to 45 days.

Many Coast residents and visitor 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 boardwalk was stoutly constructed, evidenced by the sections that remained after the storms, Katrina's storm surge proved wood was not the way to go.

Will concrete be a better solution? GCN noted that Katrina lifted and collapsed the massive concrete ramp in the in the first floor parking garage at the Beau Rivage.