LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) — Jeepin the Coast wrapped up Sunday in Long Beach, drawing an estimated 2,500 Jeeps to the annual event.
Mayor Tim Pierce said this year’s event was one of the biggest. The city expanded the beach area to accommodate more Jeeps, and bands performed for large crowds throughout the weekend.
“I tell you, I think this is by far a record-breaking year,” Pierce said. “The bands have been fantastic, and it’s just been huge crowds.”
Harbor and gateway project
The city is moving forward with harbor reconstruction after years without the facility.
“I think it’s going to be a welcome addition to our city,” Pierce said. “When you talk about a quality of life, that harbor means everything.”
The harbor is expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year, Pierce said. The city has $2.5 million for the western jetty to install a bulkhead, and another $2.5 million for the northwest bulkhead.
Pierce said he envisions using the area for retail development that would tie in the city’s gateway project.
“On the eastern end of the gateway, there’s some real estate in there that the city owns that we’re hoping we can come to an agreement with, maybe some Airstream trailers to have some restaurants, places to get some drinks, coffee, snowballs, and all that. And you can enjoy the sunset down there on the gateway project.”
The city will discuss that proposal during the first part of June.
North-south corridor
The city is working on a north-south corridor project that Pierce said will serve as an evacuation route and support business development.
“It was kind of emphasized when we had a tragic event the other day on Canal Road,” Pierce said. “We were completely shut down. When you close down Canal Road, Long Beach has to go all the way to 49.”
The plan layout for the North-South Corridor Project.(WLOX)
Pierce has pitched 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.
Residential growth and business development
Long Beach has seen approximately 750 homes built in the last three years, according to the mayor.
“We’re really trying to look forward to the future and build the things that will put us in a good position to be the town that everybody wants to come to,” Pierce said.
The city is also in the process of annexing the Long Beach Industrial Park to create business space.
“That is the start of building a business space for the city of Long Beach, and we’d like to continue that growth towards the north,” Pierce said.
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