LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) — Mayor Tim Pierce is taking another look at a major road project with a new plan and a deadline to use millions in federal funding.
The revamped plan follows the collapse of the Beatline Road parkway plan, which stalled amid funding shortfalls and a lack of county support.
RELATED: Long Beach gets $16.8M to start expanding Beatline Rd. to five-lane parkway
“We stepped back and said, ‘Is this the true route that we really want to take, or can we take a regional approach to this and include others that may benefit from this regional plan as well?’” Pierce said.
New route proposed
Pierce is pitching a new route from the Long Beach Harbor north through Cleveland Avenue and Klondyke Road to 28th Street. It would connect to I-10 by a plan to either widen Canal Road or build a new connection.
The plan layout for the North-South Corridor Project.(WLOX)
The mayor is working to win Gulfport’s support, saying the new route would give Port of Gulfport and Seabee Base workers another direct link to I-10 and speed up storm evacuations.
“If we don’t find a way to build a safer corridor to I-10 and open up more businesses in our city, we’re gonna be strangled, you know, going forward,” Pierce said. “We have to open up avenues for development.”
Funding deadline looms
Long Beach has $16.8 million in federal funding on the table, but it expires in September 2027. The state still has to sign off.
“That’s just what the state was asking; come up with good plans, good master plans and we’ll help you fund it, so that’s what we’re doing,” Pierce said.
Pierce says the proposal is about more than traffic flow. He says it’s about economic development and whether the city can do it without taking on a big financial hit.
“I’m really hoping this white paper shows that it’s not going to be a big burden on Long Beach, but yet opening up our area to get down to Highway 90 will open up all that available land that we have along Highway 90 and hopefully bring future business into our city,” Pierce said.
The Gulf Regional Planning Commission is expected to invest $150,000 towards the project proposal.
A work session to discuss the project will be held at Long Beach City Hall on Tuesday, March 31, at 5 p.m.
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