Pass Christian officials vote to halt boardwalk project

Pass Christian residents are divided after the city council voted this week to pause development of the under-construction boardwalk along the beach front.

Pass Christian city officials voted to pause construction on the three remaining phases of the concrete boardwalk along Highway 90. Citizens of the city expressed their concern to visibility to the beach and the safety of pedestrians while others expressed support for the boardwalk. The project broke ground earlier this year in March and was funded by GOMESA grant funds.

Mayor Jimmy Rafferty shares more on what led to this decision and the next steps forward for the project. “We’re all interested in one thing: having a safe passageway on the seawall. But what we need to do, and a key learning that came out of the meeting the other day, is that we need to, collectively, the mayor and the board of alderpersons, we need to do a better job communicating major projects to the citizens of Pass Christian before we implement them.”

Phase one of the project will continue as planned. The mayor says going forward he plans to work closely with the Department of Marine Resources to plan further strategies for the boardwalk.