This report was a reply to a post on misc.transport.road regarding post-Katrina traffic in the areas affected by the hurricane.  This was posted on September 22, 2005.

Gulfport and Slidell traffic

[Editor's Note:  the initial comment from Sandor Gulyas is in bold below.  My comments are in plain text below that:

And if the population increase isn't visible anywhere else, it is visible on the streets of the city where lines of traffic clog nearly every thoroughfare.]


While rolling about on errands and business this week, have noticed more or less the same thing in Slidell, Gulfport, and to a lesser extent Biloxi and even here in Picayune. Although these areas didn't get nearly the refugee level that Baton Rouge got, we have a large number of relief/utility workers who have set up shop here. Not to mention that most of the population was able to return to their homes/businesses if they remained standing. Amongst the problem spots I've noticed:

- Memorial Blvd in Picayune. Going west from I-59 Exit 4.
- Traffic on I-12 through Slidell is *MUCH* thicker than it used to be.  To the point of unstable flow.
- Gause Blvd in Slidell (US 190) is even more gridlocked than it was pre-Katrina (and it was bad then, especially just west of I-10).
- US 49 in Gulfport.
- Many of the minor arterials in both Gulfport and Biloxi. Pass Rd is extremely bad, as this is the only east-west arterial in Gulfport and western Biloxi between I-10 and US 90 (which is still closed to non-emergency traffic).
- I-110 across the Biloxi Back Bay, due to being down to a single lane for repairs.


A couple other things I noticed over the last couple days:

- Sometime over the last 3-4 days, the northbound rest area on I-59 near Picayune was reopened.
- US 90 is closed northeast of US 190, but open between US 190 and LA 433.
- The US 90 bridge at Rigolets Pass had traffic going across it, though I didn't try my luck to see if it was being restricted. Turned onto LA 433 and saw some nasty damage along there while getting back to I-10.

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