Bienville Square Upgrade Downtown Mobile Park: MOBILE, Ala. Renovations on Bienville Square in Downtown Mobile have been underway since August.
According to the Downtown Mobile Alliance, the transformation will yield expanded seating, lighting around the iconic Ketchum Fountain, new sidewalks, upgraded bandstand and more.
Kizzy Ferguson, a Mobile native, celebrates Mardi Gras with her family each year. Like many revelers, Bienville Square is her vantage point for all of the parades.
I come down all the time and celebrate Mardi Gras with my kids- my grandkids, so normally we stand within this area just to watch the parades go by and stuff, said Ferguson.
But this year, itll be different. Carol Hunter with the Downtown Mobile Alliance says Bienville Square will be closed until after Fat Tuesday.
The park will be closed until sometime after Fat Tuesday. The parade route goes on Saint Francis Street and then down on Conception, so this is a really popular parade viewing spot. Hopefully some of the sidewalks will still be available- pull back some of the fencing- we just wont be able to be in the park, said Hunter.
The roughly $4 million project is revitalizing Mobiles beloved park.
We met with Hunter and we took a look at the progress.
The fountain will have a new basin that will have a seat wall around it so it wont be closed off the from the public the way the other fountain was. Theres also a seat wall- thats gonna provide a lot more seating than we had in the square before. The new sidewalks are in. The new central plaza around the fountain will be paved with blue stone and granite, Hunter detailed.
Until then, Hunter is asking folks to be patient until its complete.
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There havent been any weather delays- its more on the equipment side, hopefully that will continue. Its gonna be a vast improvement for all the citizens and visitors to Mobile, added Hunter.
Meanwhile, some revelers have a backup plan.
Might have to go down towards Springhill to see if we can get a spot down there since this is gonna be closed.
We reached out to the City of Mobile for comment:
The next stages of work will be focused on the fountains basin and the landscaping around the park. The project is projected to be under construction during the 2024 Mardi Gras season, which means Bienville Square will be closed to ensure the safety of the public. While we aimed to have the project completed enough to reopen the park during Carnival Season, keeping Mobilians and visitors safe is always our top priority. Once the renovations are completed this Spring, Mobilians will be amazed by the improvements to the parks walkability and many of its key features. Future Mardi Gras seasons will be greatly enhanced because of the improvements being made in Bienville Square today.
Candace Cooksey, Director of Communications for the City of Mobile
The Bienville Square project isnt the only project throwing a loop in this years upcoming Mardi Gras season. The Civic Center parking lot will be off limits because of the construction on the new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building. RV City Park will be closed, too.