News Release

Natchez Trace Parkway near Tennessee River to close for repairs

The bridge will closure is expected to last from October 12 - November 1.

NPS photo

News Release Date: October 5, 2022

Contact: Mandi Toy, 662-60-4017

Updated: October 12, 2022. Original Release Date: October 5, 2022 

TUPELO, Miss.—The National Park Service will close a section of Natchez Trace Parkway including the John Coffee Memorial Bridge at 8 PM, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. The bridge is located 6 miles north of Cherokee, Alabama and spans the Tennessee River.  

The full closure from Mississippi Highway 4 (Tishomingo County) to Alabama Highway 20 (Lauderdale County) and signed detour around the closure will remain in-place until the work is completed. The Parkway is closed to all uses including motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians in the closed area. Access to Colbert Ferry will be blocked including the bicycle camp. 

This is part of an ongoing project that includes the rehabilitation of the main line motor-road, mill & overlay of ramps and pull-off areas, traffic safety improvements, and accessibility improvements from Milepost 291 -331.  The section of Parkway from Mississippi Highway 4 to Mississippi Highway 25 was expected to open by Oct. 12, however, due to the contractor experiencing equipment issues, the opening of this section has been further delayed.

Updates to the road status and maps are available on the park website at www.nps.gov/natr and on Facebook @NatchezTraceParkwayNPS, or call [phone].  

Project funding was provided by a grant from Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP), the National Park Service, and the Federal Highway Administration Federal Lands Transportation Project (FLTP) program.   

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