A $17 million project to rebuild the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor will begin in two weeks. Construction is expected to take two years.

The harbor was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. FEMA is picking up the tab to replace it.

The ceremonial driving of the first piling was held Monday.

The new harbor will have 319 boat slips, piers, a harbor-services building, pavilions, museums, terminals and a lighthouse on the southern tip of the city.

Boat owners who had a slip at the harbor before Katrina were given a piece of the original bulkhead, which dates back to 1936.

The harbor plan is part of a makeover for the Jones Park area in Gulfport.