Start at DeMontluzin Avenue and walk toward the back of Dan B's. That stretch of the downtown boardwalk is new: accessible decking, access ramps, lighting, benches and trash receptacles, part of a project the city bid out at roughly 630 linear feet. It's the most visible change on the Bay St. Louis waterfront this fall, and one of the smallest projects by cost.
A few hundred yards away, the larger project is only now reaching a contractor. The municipal harbor's Hurricane Zeta repair is priced at more than five times the boardwalk contract. Nearly half of that money pays for one concrete wall at the south parking lot.
A boardwalk that moved on schedule
The Downtown ADA Boardwalk Project went to David Rush Construction on a contract of $778,793. On the pay application dated Sept. 22, 2026, the work was 83% complete by cost and 94% of the way through the contract's allotted days.
Two weeks later, the Oct. 6 city council agenda included a motion to approve a certificate of substantial completion for one section: from DeMontluzin Avenue to the end of the boardwalk behind Dan B's. Another motion on the same agenda covered a fourth pay application of $209,396.08 for the project. A "substantial completion" certificate usually marks the point where the owner can use a finished section, so this segment is the first piece to reach that stage.
A second accessible boardwalk is also moving forward. The same consent agenda proposed a rent-exempt public trust tidelands lease for the Ulman Avenue ADA Boardwalk Project. That's an early step, but it shows the downtown boardwalk is part of a larger push along the shoreline.
A harbor repair that took a rebid
Zeta damaged the harbor's slips and docks. By spring 2021 the harbor was still repairing them, and WXXV reported that the work was "slowly, but surely happening." The harbor also grew that year. A new dock paid for by the Department of Marine Resources Tidelands Fund added about 50 slips, bringing the total to 214, and the day dock was extended by 400 feet. Together those improvements cost about $1 million. Speaking with WXXV that spring, Harbor Master Sean Hales described the demand this way:
"It's one of those things that if you build it, they will come."
The storm repair is a separate FEMA project, and it went back out to bid. The 2026 paperwork labels it "Hurricane Zeta General Repairs FEMA #4576 DR-MS PW 497-Rebid." Bids opened Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, and three contractors submitted. In a Sept. 23 letter to Mayor Mike Favre, city engineer Jason Chiniche recommended Gill's Crane & Dozer Service of Slidell at $4,349,034.65, a total that includes the base bid and two alternates. He wrote that the firm was "comfortable with the schedule for completion of the project."
The award was on the Oct. 6 consent agenda. The city hasn't published a start date, a finish date or a list of temporary closures for harbor users yet. The agenda set the next council meeting for Oct. 20.
Where the harbor money actually goes
The bid tabulation lists the repair item by item, and the costs are very uneven. Here are some examples at Gill's prices, from the largest single line down to one of the smallest:
- South Parking Lot concrete sheetpile wall, 125 feet long, 10 feet high and 2 feet thick: $2,037,037.20. That one line is about 47% of the total award.
- Mobilization, the cost of bringing crews and equipment to the site: $350,000.
- South Beach Access Ramp concrete slab, 40 feet by 13 feet: $101,111.15.
- Drainage inlet piping in the first parking lot, cleaned and inspected by camera: $57,000.
- Pedestrian Entrance, 890 wooden spindles removed and replaced: $26,700.
- Event Deck, two posts: $3,000.
The full schedule includes other large items as well. Among them are work at the Rutherford Fishing Pier, the breakwater wall, piers and slips, and related harbor equipment.
On its own, the south parking lot wall costs more than two and a half times the entire downtown boardwalk contract. Visitors to the harbor are more likely to notice the 890 new spindles at the pedestrian entrance than the wall, even though the wall costs about 76 times as much. Rebuilding a wall that holds back the shoreline involves sheetpile, heavy equipment and a lot of concrete. Swapping railings, signs and gutters is light work by comparison.
The waterfront is open for the season anyway
With all that work ahead, the shoreline is still busy this fall.
Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast added a new place to eat on the water. The Seafood Shack at Hollydeck Bar & Marina had its ribbon cutting Thursday, Oct. 1, at 711 Hollywood Boulevard, and the Sea Coast Echo described it as marina-front dining. The next day, WLOX reported that the Shack was open with Gulf seafood and rotating weekend specials through October. The Hollydeck page lists Seafood Shack specials on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours can change, so check before you go.
Washington Street Pier has a different seasonal job. The Oct. 6 agenda included a motion to let the Department of Marine Resources run a check station there for oyster season, which runs Oct. 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027. If you walk the pier regularly, you may see that station there through the winter.
Witches Walk puts the busiest weekend right next to the work
The weekend of Oct. 23–24, Old Town's Witches Walk crowd gathers a few blocks from both projects. According to the Witches Walk 2026 schedule, the weekend opens Friday, Oct. 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. with a welcome party for registered witches at Cuz's Upstairs, 108 S. Beach Blvd. Packet and merchandise pickup happens there, and walk-up registration is available while supplies last.
On Saturday, Witches Walk Central is at Cue Street and Main from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with registration and merchandise pickup until noon. The contest stops follow a set route through the morning and early afternoon:
- 10 a.m. Best Costume at Social Chair, 201 Main St.
- 11 a.m. Best Hat at Sassy Bird Interiors, 211 Main St.
- Noon Best Broom at The Shops of Century Hall, 112 S. Second St.
- 1 p.m. Best Shoes at Shoe Boutique, 131 Main St.
- 4 p.m. Main Stage, with hosts Virginia Slim Jim and DJ Doug Funnie, a Salty Sirens performance, a group photo, and celebrity judges naming the overall winners
If you're driving that day, plan around the closures. The Oct. 6 agenda included street closures on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Main, Second, Cue and Beach Boulevard, pending Board of Supervisors approval. Lodging is already tight. The Old Town page lists the Pearl Hotel as fully booked for the weekend, so visiting family may want to book elsewhere.
During a Witches Walk break, people heading to Beach Boulevard can walk the newest stretch of the boardwalk. The harbor's south parking lot, where the most expensive part of the Zeta repair will happen, is just down the shore.
If you'd like to know how the boardwalk, the harbor work and the new waterfront spots might affect what your Bay St. Louis home is worth, Team CeejaySells follows these changes closely and is happy to walk you through them. Get Your Free Home Valuation, and we'll put the local details into real numbers for you.
