Planned airport, marina work on Mississippi Gulf Coast takes place on oil spill

Biloxi, Mississippi (WKRG) — Over $11 million federal allotment in the Mississippi Gulf Coast to fund infrastructure improvements.

Funding will come from the resource and ecological sustainability, tourism opportunities and revived economy of the Gulf State RESTORE Act passed by Congress in 2012. $372 million will be provided to Mississippi for ecological restoration, economic development, and tourism promotion projects.

$6.2 million will create a construction-ready site to “promote aviation development opportunities” at Gulfport Biloxi International Airport, according to the Governor’s Office.

RESTORE funds will be used to fund the preparation of the “project-ready” site for future commercial development. The current vehicle maintenance facility will be demolished and replaced with a new building.

$5 million will go toward the Broadwater Marina Restoration Project, which will restore national property to a safe and working condition, ready it for immediate public use, and prepare the site for future tourism and economic development.

The marina is located within Public Trust Tidelands, managed and leased by the Office of the Mississippi Secretary of State. The RESTORE funds will assist in the restoration of existing marina infrastructure and facilitate future marina redevelopment and economic development north of Highway 90.

Projects previously announced with state funding through components of the RESTORE Act include:

• Water Quality Improvement Program ($1.1 million) — Implementation of new, refurbished or upgraded stormwater and wastewater systems, including conversion of septic tanks to sewers.
• Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center$1.54 million) — Funding for the design, permitting, construction, and installation of parking lots and exterior concourse safety and security features. Continuation of previously funded improvements.
• Commercial test site for environmental monitoring from space to the seafloor ($1.65 million) — Development of unmanned aerial and waterborne systems to test and tune new systems for civilian, educational, government, and military institutions.
• Moss Point City I-10 Commercial Corridor Improvements ($2.2 million) – Improving access, connectivity, and safety to the Moss Point Interstate Business District to enhance the city’s economy and quality of life.
• Hancock County Tech Park at Stennis Airport ($2.2 million) — Construct a building to house the War Department’s Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetric Technology Center (JALBTCX), which will grow beyond the existing incubator space.
• Site expansion and facility relocation of Gulfport Biloxi International Airport ($3.19 million) — Expanding a project-ready site adjacent to the airport’s 241-acre runway to attract industrial aerospace investment. In addition, the aging vehicle maintenance facility was demolished and a new facility was constructed adjacent to the airport’s maintenance building.
• Mitigation and Preparation of the Gulfport Biloxi International Airport Project Preparation Site ($4.18 million) — Funds for airport economic development site mitigation, removal, and removal.
• Broadwater Marina Restoration Project ($5.5 million) – Funds to return 30 acres of state land to public use, including potential for future tourism and economic development.
• Revitalization of Hancock County Fairgrounds/Hancock County Multipurpose Arena ($6.05 million) — Upgrades and improvements to the 80-acre fairgrounds and multipurpose arena, including facilities and infrastructure to foster economic growth.
• Washington Street Avenue Gateway (Jackson County — $6.6 million) — Build pedestrian-friendly features such as sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, median landscaping, and mast arm signal installations for the safety of Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs.
• Accelerating Public/Private Workforce Training Partnerships in Mississippi ($2.2 million) — Accelerate workforce development through Accelerate Mississippi in three coastal counties.
• Coastal Habitat Management Fund ($3.3 million) — to fund management planning and management of existing and newly acquired coastal protected areas.
• beachfront resilience ($4.95 million) – Additional funding to strengthen and rehabilitate Highway 90 boardwalks and trails, dune planting and fencing to address sand migration onto Highway 90.
• Gulf Coast Center of Security and Emerging Technologies (CSET) Fusion ($5.5 million) — This project will focus on developing the information technology workforce for economic expansion, innovation and social growth.
• Water quality improvement and solid waste treatment of wastewater from shrimp processing industry ($5.5 million) – Funds for improved wastewater and solid waste treatment from the shrimp processing industry.
• D’Iberville City Waterfront and Commercial Seafood Harbor ($6.6 million) – A project to build a mixed-use waterfront and seafood harbor at D’Iberville.