VICKSBURG, MS. - The National Park Service (NPS) today opened the second 30-day public comment period for the Vicksburg National Military Park: Parkwide Road System Study.
From Nov. 4 through Dec. 3, 2021, 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 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-Dec. 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
About Vicksburg National Military Park: Vicksburg National Military Park preserves and tells the story of the Civil War Campaign for Vicksburg. This turning-point in American History helped determine the outcome of the Civil War and its impacts continue to transcend our culture today. For more information visit www.nps.gov/vick
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Tags: road study
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
