News Release

Tour Road and Vicksburg National Cemetery Damaged by Heavy Rains

Date: February 21, 2020
Contact: Scott Babinowich, 6016426881

Three sections of the park tour road have been damaged as a result of flash flooding. North Union Avenue, Grant Circle, and the National Cemetery Road all received damage from soil erosion and geologic slumping of the Loess soil. All three sections of road are closed to all vehicles and pedestrians for safety reasons.

At Grant Circle and North Union Avenue, saturated soil began to shift in early February due to an abundance of rainfall, and caused sections of the roadbed to be undermined.

In Vicksburg National Cemetery, a 60-yard section of the road was compromised when the Loess Soil began to slump and erode to a lower terrace. Currently no gravesites have been exposed from this event. As a result of this geologic slump, extra weight has been placed on the lower terraces, further compromising the stability of the adjacent levels of the cemetery. The impact of this slump can be seen from Washington Street adjacent to the National Cemetery.

On February 21, 2020, Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith toured the National Cemetery with Park Superintendent Bill Justice and Friends of Vicksburg NMP and Campaign Director Bess Averett. “Our number one priority is to stabilize the ongoing erosion in the National Cemetery” said Superintendent Bill Justice. “The soil is still moving, and we are working with our partners and regional officials to determine how to stabilize the slope.”

With the support of the Department of Interior Region 2 Office, National Park Service archeologists and cultural resource specialists are already onsite to perform condition assessments and provide recommendations for addressing impacts to the gravesites.

Vicksburg National Military Park remains open. Visitors are encouraged to start their visit at the Visitor Center and obtain maps showing the closures and detours.

Vicksburg National Military Park and Warren County have been subjected to unprecedented rainfall this winter. Numerous heavy rain events have dropped over 25 inches of rainfall on the park in less than 50 days.