Ribbon cut for new gate at Keesler Air Force Base

Biloxi Mayor Andrew “Fofo” Gilich has touted the benefits of a new Keesler Air Force Base gate on Division Street for several years.

His dream became a reality last week when the ribbon was cut on the new gate at the facility.

“If this was a book about the history of Biloxi and Keesler, it would be more than two chapters, but the reality of it is, it’s here today,” said Gilich.

The project included four phases of construction including a roundabout on Division Street, an entrance pavilion where four cars can be checked at a time, a commercial truck entrance and a new Visitor’s Center.

Mississippi Power’s engineering team and line crew in Biloxi was heavily involved in the off-base portion of the project.

The team, along with help from other Coast Division crews and contractors, converted more than a half-mile of overhead lines to underground, removed nearly 50 poles and pulled in 38,000 feet of underground cable.

“We also installed seven new automated devices to create a new self-healing network for the area,” said Line Construction and Maintenance Supervisor Kacey Carpenter. “But most importantly, there were 5,000 hours worked on this project with zero safety incidents. It was a tremendous job done by everyone involved.”

The gate will officially open for use in June. More than 50,000 vehicles are expected to pass through the gate each year.

Now in its 97th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for nearly 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power recently was a recipient of the Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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