Public invited to attend sessions on roadway options for Vicksburg National Military Park

The National Park Service (NPS) is holding two in-person information sessions as part of the second 30-day public comment period for the Vicksburg National Military Park: Parkwide Road System Study.  

When: Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, 2021 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Where:  Visitor Center Theater
3201 Clay St
Vicksburg, MS 39183

Carrie Mardorf, acting superintendent for Vicksburg National Military Park, and other NPS staff will be present to provide information and answer questions concerning the Parkwide-Road System Study and the interactive online story map experience which allows the public to “test drive” potential roadway options within the park. The story map is currently live through Dec 3 for comment. The story map offers opportunities to provide feedback on how these potential changes would enhance visitor experience in the park.

There will also be comment cards available at the meeting for the public to leave feedback. The NPS is interested in hearing how visitors currently move throughout the park and would like to experience the park in the future.

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.

Additional ways comments may be submitted:

Online (the preferred method)

View the Story Map website at https://arcg.is/ybm9q 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 at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/VicksburgRoadStudy. 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, 2021 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

Masks are required for everyone, regardless of location or vaccination status, in all NPS buildings, crowded outdoor spaces, and all forms of enclosed public transportation. Additional details are available at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

We ask our visitors to recreate responsibly and follow CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including staying home when feeling sick.

Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on our website www.nps.gov/vick and social media channels.