BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss.—Mississippi is gearing up for a batch of beach restoration projects along the Gulf Coast, including a $30 million effort in Hancock County that will restore the shoreline to its original 200-foot width for the first time since the 1960s. 

The work is part of a long-running coastal restoration effort overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Planning for large-scale improvements began in 2009, when a post-Hurricane Katrina report recommended rebuilding beaches along the Mississippi coast and restoring damaged barrier islands. USACE officials said those plans were authorized in 2014, but the projects didn’t obtain funding until 2022.

“(This) particular project came about as a result of the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which funded $77 million to projects across the Mississippi coast,” said David Newell, program manager for the USACE Mobile District. 

Coastal Defenses Get Boost With No New Taxes

Jimmie Ladner Jr., Hancock County tax assessor and administrator, said storms and daily erosion thinned the shoreline, limiting its ability to shield the seawall, U.S. Highway 90 and nearby homes. 

“(The beach) is not just a recreational thing,” said Ladner. “The main function of it is to protect Beach Boulevard and to protect the properties behind Beach Boulevard. It’s the first layer of defense when there’s inclement weather.” 

The Hancock County project aims to do that along eight miles between the Silver Slipper and the Bay Bridge. It includes widening the beach, building new berms—earthen walls that operate as speed bumps for water—planting dunes and strengthening natural defenses designed to absorb wave energy and reduce storm-related flooding. 

A man with white hair sits at a desk with his hands folded, surrounded by office items including a computer monitor, framed certificates and children’s drawings on the wall behind him.
Hancock County Administrator Jimmie Ladner Jr. said the widened beach will strengthen storm defenses without raising taxes, thanks to existing county debt rolling off as the project begins. Photo by RHCJC News

The federal government will cover 65% of the $30 million project cost, while the county is responsible for the remaining 35%—about $9.1 million. Ladner said the county secured a bond to cover its share, and—because older debts are being retired—he said the project will not result in a tax increase. 

“We’re lucky we have some debt service rolling off, so we don’t anticipate any kind of big increase in taxes or anything to cover that,” Ladner said. 

Coast Upgrade Brings Environmental, Economic Benefits 

Beyond its protective benefits, Newell said the project will also restore natural habitats. 

“(The project) not only has ecosystem benefits to things like, you know, bird habitat, turtles, grasses, these features, but it also helps protect the infrastructure,” he said. “(It) has this reduction in the risk of storms benefit to the project as well.” 

Residents who use the shoreline say widening the beach will improve access and support the local economy. 

“It would make it a lot easier to give us better access to the reefs and all the oyster beds that are sitting out there,” said Diamondhead resident Benjamin Russell.  

He added the expansion could draw more people to the area, saying, “We still have very beautiful beaches and a good tourist attraction, so I think it’s very worth it. It could be more popular with this expansion.” 

A wide coastal shoreline at low tide with patches of wet sand and shallow water, cloudy blue sky above, and houses lining the distant tree-covered shore.
Low tide reveals shallow sand flats along Hancock County’s shoreline, an area that will be reshaped with new berms, dunes and habitat restoration under the upcoming beach expansion project. Photo by RHCJC News

Tom, a retired Gulfport resident who stopped by Bay St. Louis for dinner, agreed.  

“It’s what attracts people here, so take care of your jewel of the beach and you’ll attract more people,” he said. 

Design and engineering work for the project began in 2023. Construction bids are out now and officially close December 15. Once a bid for the project is selected, they will do board selection in early 2026. Ladner said the county expects “substantial completion” by summer 2026.

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This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


A native of northeastern Pennsylvania, Justin is a 2022 graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in television, radio and film.

Prior to joining the RHCJC, Justin worked as a digital producer and assignment editor for WBRE/WYOU in northeastern Pennsylvania. During his two years at the station, he covered a wide range of stories, coordinated local and national news coverage, and oversaw the station’s assignment desk. His work included producing content for digital platforms, managing breaking news and organizing coverage for high-profile stories.

Justin is passionate about storytelling and brings a strong background in digital media production and editorial leadership to his role at the center.

McKenna Klamm, a Junior at The University of Southern Mississippi, is majoring in Film and minoring in Marketing. McKenna is from Tonganoxie, Kansas. She is a photographer and videographer at the RHCJC center. McKenna’s passion for storytelling through videography came from experimenting with different video and social media platforms, and she is excited to continue learning through RHCJC.

Michelle Pinto, a native of Bogota, Colombia, is a 12th grade Gulfport High School student. Michelle would like to major in Digital Journalism. Michelle is Content Specialist for RHCJC.

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, housed at The University of Southern Mississippi, is dedicated to enhancing the media landscape in southeast Mississippi by prioritizing impactful, issue-oriented, and people-centered reporting.

In addition to providing original reporting, we also aim to improve media literacy efforts among the citizens of southeast Mississippi. To that end, we host free, public media literacy trainings and awareness events. We also operate a “What is True?” service, where the public can submit disinformation and misinformation questions—through a special hotline, web form, or an email address—for us to research, investigate, and answer.