Officials here and in Ocean Springs are meeting next week to plan a joint opening party for the new $338.6 million Biloxi Bay Bridge.

Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran said the cities are “looking to coordinate a joint celebration,” that may include a bridge fest with music, food and fireworks.

Moran, Biloxi Mayor A. J. Holloway and Jackson County Commissioner Frank Leach recently selected the color deep teal blue for the steel girder that runs beneath the railing of the bridge.

The structure will replace the bridge that connected Biloxi and Ocean Springs that was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

Two lanes of the new bridge are expected to open Nov. 13, said Kim Sloan, public information officer for Mississippi Department of Transportation.

All six lanes and a shared bike and pedestrian path are expected to be finished April 16.

Moran has asked MDOT Executive Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown to incorporate art into the bridge to complement the city’s design for the waterfront. The murals or mosaics with a coastal theme would be featured on the free-standing panels to hide the pilings on the Ocean Springs side of the bridge.