Renewed activity at two museums under construction downtown has sparked hope they’ll open on time and become selling points for tourism and commerce.

At the retired MV Mississippi IV — the centerpiece of what will become the Lower Mississippi River Museum and Riverfront Interpretive Center — workers are preparing the foundation for what will accompany the huge ex-flagship at Jackson and Washington streets. Just west on Levee Street, railroad memorabilia and a covered walkway like the ones that shielded travelers a century ago promise to create a living picture of the past at the old depot.

When those images are combined with the Art Park splash fountain, riverfront murals and the rest of downtown, the result, officials are hoping, could be a slam dunk for tourism and commerce once all phases of both attractions are done by 2012.

“The marketing angle is this — we need another showpiece down there,” said Bill Seratt, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And with the transportation museum and the interpretive center, it’ll be wonderful.”