A week of work along the Vicksburg National Military Park tour road has resulted in repair of an eroded hillside and improved drainage.

Park historian Terry Winschel and director of operations Rick Martin said the hillside was eroding, due at least in part to runoff during hard rains.

&#8220The whole hill had blown out,” Winschel said, adding that a few trees also had to be cleared.

It cost nearly $20,000 and was done by Sanders Excavation of Vicksburg, owned by Jay Sanders.

&#8220They spent about 2 1/2 days hauling dirt,” Martin said, adding that two to three dump trucks were used during that time, bringing dirt into the park from a service road near its northeastern boundary, near Sherman Avenue.

The work was complete by Thursday, with a green, spray-on cellulose-and-seed mixture covering the hillside to replace the grass.

Water leaves the road on a concrete gutter and enters the drainage system at a receptacle about 12 feet east of the road. The former receptacle consisted of two 12-inch-diameter pipes and during heavy rains was overwhelmed, Martin said.

&#8220It looked like a big rooster-tail,” Martin said.

The receptacle to where the drainage system empties, near Old Jackson Road, is connected by 209 feet of pipe, Winschel said.

The former pipe system was assembled from sections of pipe and had developed a leak, contributing to the blowout of the hill, Winschel said.

The new drainpipe has an 18-inch diameter and is in one piece, Winschel said.

The water from it eventually flows into Glass Bayou, he added. In addition to preserving the hillside, the project is also designed to keep water runoff from the park inside the park boundaries, minimizing any effects it may have on neighbors, Winschel said.

The overpass was built about 30 years ago, replacing a steel-arch bridge nearby, Winschel said. The steel-arch bridge has been removed within about the past five years.