Rail lines approved over coastal wetlands in Jackson County

This morning, the Jackson County Port Authority was approved to fill in more than three acres of coastal wetlands for industrial development.

The port authority received a certificate of exclusion for the construction of a rail line from Bayou Casotte to the Port of Pascagoula.

The plan, heard by DMR, is to use the acres of wetlands and tidally influenced marsh for construction adjacent to the Escatawpa River in Moss Point.

The purpose of the project is to provide railroad capacity and connect existing rail lines.

Officials say the project has public safety benefits too, by eliminating 21 railroad crossings in Pascagoula and Moss Point.

The plan was originally proposed in 2019, but was modified to build on 1.5 acres less of wetlands.