I-110/Hwy 90 Loop
Client : Harrison County Sand Beach Authority
Interstate 110 and Highway 90 are the two major thoroughfares that bring people into Biloxi. Their point of intersection is at the beach in the heart of Biloxi. I-110 spans over Highway 90, curves out and over the beach, the water and over the beach again where it merges with Highway 90, creating a loop. This site sits among the vastness of the Gulf of Mexico’s horizon, the glitz of Casinos and the sand beaches of Biloxi. It is a site that currently is a void, disconnected from the rest of the beach and contains the one lone palm tree that has survived past hurricanes.
The design goals of the project are to create a welcoming and usable space within the loop, make connections to the rest of the beach and to mark the identity of place. Taking cues from the large scale surroundings we marked the site with a large screen, spanning from the I-110 overpass that reads WELCOME TO THE GULF OF MEXICO. A new series of boardwalks and large terraced steps that lead to the beach are proposed to improve pedestrian circulation. An arc-shaped grove of palm trees end with the one surviving palm creating a place for beach goers to sit beneath. Proposed along Highway 90 are new planter walls that serve aesthetic and safety needs.
This project is just a part of the Harrison County Beach Improvements master plan that will be carried out over the next few years.
