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VNMP restores public access to Grant Circle
Vicksburg National Military Park has restored public access to Grant Circle and a section of Union Avenue after completing projects.
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VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Vicksburg National Military Park has restored public access to Grant Circle and a section of Union Avenue after completing an extensive, multi-year rehabilitation project to repair catastrophic damage caused by heavy rainfall in early 2020. With the project’s completion, the northern section of the park is once again accessible to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
“The park is extremely pleased to restore public access to Grant Circle and the northern section of Union Avenue,” said Superintendent Treacy Stone. “We appreciate the commitment and dedication of our partners, elected officials, National Park Service staff, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division project managers and the contractors whose support helped make this important milestone possible.”
At Grant’s Circle, the park constructed a 50-foot gabion basket retaining wall to improve road slope stability and form a foundation for the reconstructed road surface. This sustainable design allows water to pass through reducing the risk of drainage pipe failures. The design is also a nod to the historical context at Vicksburg. During the siege, both armies used gabion baskets woven with cane reeds and filled with earth and stone to strengthen trenches and ramparts. While the materials have changed, the core engineering remains the same to reinforce an 1863 fortification or a present-day road.
Additional work at Grant’s Circle included milling and asphalt paving, new striping, curb and gutter replacements and installation of a new drainage system on the west side of the circle. Along North Union Ave, the park installed 900 aggregate piers under the new roadway as reinforcement to improve vertical load transfer and reduce the risk of lateral soil failure. The permeable aggregate system allows subsurface water to drain freely, helping prevent moisture buildup, which caused the failure in 2020. New improvements will support the long-term sustainability of the roadway.
For more information and photos from the rehabilitation project, visit the park’s website athttps://www.nps.gov/vick/planyourvisit/grant-circle-and-north-union-ave-repairs.htm
