Rebuilding after the storm.

When Hurricane Katrina formed as a moderate storm over the Bahamas on August 23, 2005, nobody could imagine the devastation it would leave in its wake as it strengthened over the next several days before hitting the Gulf Coast on August 29, and leaving its mark as the most destructive hurricane ever to strike the U.S. Though storm surge caused major destruction from central Florida through Texas, the hardest hit by far was New Orleans, where a catastrophic failure of the levee system left the majority of the city, as well as neighboring parishes, severely flooded. However, tremendous property damage occurred all along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, where waters reached as far as 12 miles inland.

New and improved piers.

Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage, both through storm surge and debris, to the transportation system in the Gulf Coast region. The overall cost to repair or replace more than 40 bridges damaged during the hurricane is estimated at over $1 billion.

Click on any image below to view project gallery:

Significant bridge experience provided Pickering's transportation team with the right credentials for selection to design replacements for two severely damaged piers in Biloxi that had been used extensively for recreational fishing. Though the two piers, Old U.S. 90 and Back Bay, were not used for vehicular traffic, they were vehicle accessible, providing ease of access for handicapped persons and families with small children. The new piers will be capable of supporting light vehicles of the type used for handicap and emergency accommodations, and will also accommodate two lanes of traffic with handicap accessible sidewalks on both sides. Aesthetic lighting features will also be included. The anticipated completion date for the piers is November 2012.

See related Gulf Coast project work here.

Infrastructure repairs.

In an effort to restore Biloxi’s critical infrastructure damaged during Hurricane Katrina, the city, in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has developed a program consisting of approximately twenty-five construction projects to repair its sewer, storm drainage, and water distribution systems. The program is estimated at $355 million.

Pickering’s Biloxi office was selected to provide civil engineering design, bidding, and construction engineering services for three of these projects.  In addition to the design and construction of new sewer, storm drainage, and water distribution systems, the projects also include street and sidewalk improvements.

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