PASADENA, Calif. -- Parsons will design the new replacement bridge connecting Biloxi and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, as part of the design-build team of GC Constructors, a joint venture consisting of Parsons, Massman Construction Co., Kiewit Southern Co., and Traylor Bros., Inc. The original structure was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina nearly ten months ago.

This $338.6 million design-build project for the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) includes replacing a 1.6-mile-long low-level, 4-lane bridge carrying U.S. 90 over Biloxi Bay with a 95-foot-high, 6-lane bridge. The total project length is 2.4 miles with a second 800-foot bridge over the CSX Railroad.

A veteran in transportation services, Parsons and its affiliates received the highest technical scores, a critical factor in the MDOT's selection.

"We're excited to be a part of this major rebuilding project," said Jim Shappell, Parsons Group President. "The new Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge will mean a great deal for the area's future, and we will work to put it back in service as quickly as possible."

Under an accelerated project schedule, 2 lanes of the new bridge will open in 17 months, with final completion by April 2008. The new bridge will have landscaping, better lighting, walking paths, and a bicycle path.

Parsons, celebrating over 60 years of setting industry standards, is a leader in many diversified markets such as transportation, facilities, planning, infrastructure, industrial processes, communications, water, environmental, and advanced technology. Parsons provides technical and management solutions to private industrial customers worldwide as well as federal, regional, and local government agencies. For more about Parsons, please visit us at www.parsons.com.