Portions of Union Avenue inside Vicksburg National Military Park will be closed from today through Wednesday to facilitate geotechnical studies of soil erosion along the roadway.

Geotechnical studies are being performed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers on the park’s tour road to study the embankment and erosion failures occurring at sites along the tour road. This includes the section of Confederate Avenue that recently was closed in September due to soil erosion.

“This is a major step in restoring the tour road and providing for visitor safety,” Chief of Facilities Eric Ford said. “These studies include soil boring, mapping, geotechnical analysis, soil reports and treatment recommendations that are essential for the park in implementing the proper corrective maintenance for road issues.”

The work is scheduled to begin Monday morning and conclude during the afternoon of Wednesday. On Monday, Union Avenue will open to Pemberton Avenue for busses and to the Shirley House for cars. Buses can use Pemberton Avenue to access Confederate Avenue to continue the tour. Cars will be able to travel Union Avenue to the Shirley House, and use a service road to continue on to Confederate Avenue. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Union Avenue will be open to Grant Avenue for cars and busses. All vehicles can then use Graveyard Road to access Confederate Avenue to finish the tour. During these closures, the USS Cairo Museum will only be accessible via Cherry Street and the Fort Hill Entrance to the park. For safety, all road closures apply to pedestrians and bicyclists. The National Park Service anticipates opening the closed areas for pedestrians and bicyclists each evening when work is halted.

Due to the closures, no entrance fees will be charged for the duration of the road closure. All visitors are encouraged to start their visit at the Visitor Center and obtain up-to-date trip planning information.