U.S. 90, which stretches along the waterfront in Harrison County for 28 miles and is also known by the more telling name of Beach Boulevard (east, west, etc.), has from the beginning supported a mixture of homes and businesses.
   Though a beachfront path had existed since the 1800s in some places, especially near downtowns, they were not connected into a road ribbon until after the late 1920s, when the seawall was built.
   Sand dunes and Indian mounds were leveled to make a road, mostly along the seawall.
   Postcards described it as "the most beautiful drive in America."
   More than 2½ months after Hurricane Katrina, U.S. 90 in Harrison County remains closed because of damage.
   No building that fronted the highway remains unscathed by the hurricane, and most are gutted or swept away.
   At least two lanes of U.S. 90, which became a main east-west thoroughfare as well as home to businesses and people, are expected to be open by mid-December.
- KAT BERGERON