The Cedar Lake/Rodenberg route is approximately half way between the vastly overburdened Popp's Ferry route and the I-110 route into Biloxi.  Everyone who lives in that area knows of the need for another route, especially when the Popp's Ferry Bridge is out of working order and there is no other route across the Bay.

    Barges passing through the Popps Ferry Bridge frequently back up traffic in both directions; and during hurricanes with hundreds of boats seeking safe harbor in the Back Bay, the bridge has to be opened frequently for extended periods of time, creating backups for people evacuating the Biloxi Peninsula.

  In addition, the “Rodenberg / Cedar Lake” route would tie central Biloxi to the city's new growth north of the Back Bay, and it would make that area of the city only minutes away from the center of the City and its services, such as Fire Department and Police Department.  Further, the new High School  would be only minutes away from most of the rest of Biloxi. 

With a new bridge at Rodenberg, congestion on Popps Ferry Road and Pass Road would end with most of the traffic going to KAFB from across the bay on the new bridge.

    A study several years ago found that sixty percent of the traffic on Popps Ferry Road and Pass Road was going to or from KAFB, with the intersection of these two roads being one of the busiest intersections on the Coast. 

    The Cedar Lake/Rodenberg route would dramatically reduce the congestion on Popps Ferry Road and Pass Road going to or from KAFB. Alleviating traffic congestion on these major arteries would allow the traffic in the surrounding areas, which they go through, to move more efficiently as well.

    The Biloxi School System high school complex  is almost exactly half way between the Popps Ferry Bridge and  I 110.  This means that school children who live on the Biloxi peninsula have to drive or be bused a long distance out of their way and spend thirty to forty-five minutes getting to and from the school, versus five to ten minutes if there were a bridge from Rodenberg to Cedar Lake.  The Cedar Lake/Rodenberg route would also mean a significant savings to the school system in the operation of the buses.

    This route could be a life saver when emergency vehicles, including those going to and from the Keesler Hospital, make emergency responses between the Biloxi Peninsula and Wards Six and Seven and areas beyond.   In addition, it makes the Biloxi Peninsula more cohesive with the fastest growing area of Biloxi including Cedar Lake, Popps Ferry and the Biloxi Commerce Park.

    Besides traffic relief for the Biloxi peninsula , and growth opportunities for the City, other major considerations are cost of construction and disruption/displacement of  current residents wherever the route might go.  In this regard, the “Cedar Lake/Rodenberg” route is by far the best choice  due to several facts. 

 It is the shortest distance between I-10 and Highway 90 with the shortest distance over  water thereby necessitating the shortest bridge of any possible routes.  Existing resources, such as the current I 10 interchange, can be utilized, as well as existing roadways from the Cedar Lake interchange south almost to the Back Bay with only pine trees between existing roadway and the water.  In addition, the city has already widened Cedar Lake Road.

    Rodenberg  is adequate for three-lane traffic.  Rodenberg, between Pass Road and Irish Hill, could be expanded to five lanes in this area at minimal cost and at a far less detriment to residents compared to MDOT's proposal

    The remainder of the traffic should be easily handled by the existing Rodenberg, which could be utilized as a three lane road between Irish Hill and Highway 90. In addition, in the morning heavy traffic hours, two lanes could be used for traffic going south and reversed in the afternoon for peak afternoon traffic going north.  All that is needed to complete this route is a bridge across the Bay. This route is clearly the least costly, least disruptive to the most citizens, most effective, and the least complex.

    But the city needs to act. Land development on the north side of the bay could make any new bridge difficult if land for the project is not set aside. Already new developments, such as Savanna Estates, which is just west of where the Rodenberg bridge could be built, has reduced the locations for where the north side of the bridge could be placed.

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