NPS opens 30-day public comment period for Vicksburg National Military Park: Parkwide Road System Study

The National Park Service (NPS) on Thursday opened the second 30-day public comment period for the Vicksburg National Military Park: Parkwide Road System Study.

From Nov. 4 through Dec. 3, visitors are encouraged to participate in an interactive online story map experience to “test drive” potential roadway options within the park. The story map also offers opportunities to provide feedback on how these potential changes would enhance visitor experience in the park. The NPS is interested in hearing how visitors currently move throughout the park and would like to experience the park in the future. Visitors may access the story map at any time during the public comment period to participate.

“We are pleased to offer this interactive opportunity to hear from the community and stakeholders concerning their experiences and to help explore measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the park’s road system” said Carrie Mardorf, acting superintendent for Vicksburg National Military Park.

The NPS is conducting this study following decades of erosion and hillside slope failures driven by the park’s naturally vulnerable soils. In early 2020, heavy rains further eroded park roads and hillsides, causing earthen roadway structures to fail. As a result, vehicle access has become limited, with one-third of the park’s roads closed. The study will provide recommendations for feasible options to make the park’s roadways more sustainable, explore new alignments for roadways, and assess the potential to upgrade or remove transportation infrastructure in the park.

Comments may be submitted:

Online (the preferred method)
View the Story Map website any time between Nov. 4 – Dec. 3. Throughout the story map there are comment submission boxes and an opportunity at the end to provide contact information; or

Visit the NPS Planning, Environmental and Public Comments (PEPC) website, select “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar, open the “November 4-December 3, 2021 Story Map” folder and click on the green “Comment Now” button to access the online commenting form; or

By Postal Mail, send comments to:

Superintendent
Attn: Vicksburg National Military Park: Parkwide Road System Study
National Park Service
3201 Clay Street
Vicksburg, MS 39180

Written comments must be submitted online or be postmarked by Dec. 3 to be considered. For more information about the study, visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/VicksburgRoadStudy and https://www.nps.gov/vick/planyourvisit/park-wide-road-system-study.htm.