More than $1 million has been added to the widening budget for Martin Bluff Road in Gautier, Miss., along with a request for at least 43 additional working days, a representative of the primary engineering firm said during a July 15, 2025, meeting of the Gautier City Council.
The roadwork, originally scheduled for completion in mid-2023, has now stretched two years beyond its planned finish, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported July 19, 2025. In addition, the number of working days on the road has ballooned from 208 to more than 580.
Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughan said crews expect to finish the project by October, barring unforeseen issues or weather delays.
"To say this project has [had] hiccups after hiccups is an understatement," he told the council.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) must approve the request for additional working days before Gautier council members can sign off on furthering the project; working days often exclude rain days, weekends and holidays, the Sun Herald noted.
"I want to reassure our residents that both the city and our local contractor, Gulf Breeze Construction Company, along with both engineering companies, remain fully committed to completing this project," said Vaughan. "We understand how important this project is to our community, and I know our citizens are just as eager to see it completed as we are."
Martin Bluff Road is a primary two-lane street in Gautier that heads east from Gautier-Vancleave Road before turning due north to cross under Interstate 10. In addition, it also extends to neighborhoods such as Hickory Hill.
Michael Baker International, a renowned engineering firm, as well as Biloxi's Seymour Engineering, is working with Gulf Breeze Construction, based in nearby Saucier, to expand Martin Bluff Road into a curbed and shouldered route with a landscaped median and turn bays.
The project is being paid for by a patchwork of sources, including Gautier city funds, federal earmarks, Gulf Regional Planning Commission dollars and support from MDOT, according to the Sun Herald.
Martin Bluff Road's Expansion is Slowly Moving Along
Kreg Overstreet, a project engineer with Michael Baker International, told the Gautier City Council that his crew is busily working to clean up dirty sidewalks at the construction site.
"I went through there today and I know it needs sweeping," he said on July 15. "We'll get with them and make sure that that gets done."
But City Councilman Richard Jackson said that after visiting the construction site with fellow council member Lorenzo Fuller, he did not think the site was safe for area residents.
"There were pieces of cones scattered everywhere," said Jackson. "People have been waiting years for this project. I know the citizens are anxious to get this finished and to beautify the area."
Overstreet noted that the project's delays have been due, in part, to weather conditions, faulty materials and engineering-related issues.
"This site that we've got holds water and it tends to stay wet," he said. "I know people get frustrated if they're driving down the road and they don't see anybody working, but usually it's because the rain event was so intense that we've got a site that we really can't get to the next day."
Vaughan backed Overstreet's statement when he told the city council, "There are still some drainage concerns that were not adequately addressed in the initial engineering phase. Our current engineering team is actively working on resolving those [issues]."
The contracting crew is working to install five drainage boxes on-site, Overstreet said, which will help to prevent flooding. Following that, workers will begin earthwork and paving.
Vaughan stressed swift communication between the engineering firms and Gautier City Manager Paula Yancey.
"We want the job completed," he said. "I want everybody working together and so does this Council because the citizens ... want it done."
