NATCHEZ, Miss. – With more than $25 million in federal funds recently allocated to Natchez for its “Forks to Freedom” downtown revitalization project, city officials have begun the preliminary work leading to actual construction.
The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday agreed to contract the Jackson-based Neel-Schaffer engineering firm to do the environmental reviews and plans needed for site preparation and infrastructure improvements. This is considered phase one of what will be a multifaceted project to enhance an area stretching from Devereaux Drive and St. Catherine Street through downtown Natchez to the city’s scenic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
“We’re excited to be moving forward with these plans,” said Mayor Dan Gibson.
The city’s “Forks to Freedom Corridor” will include the development of three sites commemorating Black history: the former Forks of the Road slave market, a landscaped plaza honoring the country’s first Black U.S. congressman and a memorial for Black Civil War Union soldiers.
The multimillion-dollar project is being funded with allocations from the U.S. Congress and Biden administration: $1 million appropriated for Natchez in March and $24.5 million awarded in June.
The $1 million congressional earmark – funneled through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – is to help pay for Neel-Schaffer’s engineering and design work needed prior to contractors being sought to do the actual construction, Gibson said.
The mayor, aldermen and others have been planning the past four years to build a landscaped memorial for Hiram Revels, the U.S. senator from Natchez who served as the first Black member of Congress in 1870-71 when Mississippi was readmitted into the United States after the Civil War. Hiram Revels Plaza is to be at “The Triangle” where St. Catherine, Martin Luther King and Jefferson streets converge. A statue of Revels is being envisioned there.
Also in the plans is a monument paying homage to more than 3,000 Black Union soldiers who served in Natchez. It’s to be located at the north end of Broadway Street at the large green space there by Madison Street. The U.S. Colored Troops consisted of formerly enslaved men who were freed and enlisted into the Union army during the Civil War. Federal troops began their occupation of Natchez on July 13, 1863 – 161 years ago Saturday.
The Forks of Road slave market property – located along St. Catherine, Devereaux and Liberty roads – is maintained and funded by the National Park Service.
To further develop the city’s Forks to Freedom Corridor, the U.S. Department of Transportation last month awarded the $24.5 million grant that Natchez applied for last year. The money is for improving pathways, landscapes, lighting, signage and other transit-related fixtures. Key elements of the project are the Forks of the Road, Hiram Revels Plaza and the U.S. Colored Troops monument.
This major grant was awarded as Gibson and the city’s six aldermen began their new term of office July 1.
Larger than most of the 148 DOT awards handed out last month by the Biden administration to localities throughout the country, Natchez’ $24.5 million allocation is about half the size of the city’s overall budget for its municipal operations this year: $51 million.
The DOT funds are from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. It focuses largely on communities with “persistent poverty” or are “historically disadvantaged,” according to DOT.
Project Description: This project will add sidewalks, wayfinding, traffic-calming measures, urban trees, multi-use paths, improved lighting, and mobility hubs to several corridors near downtown Natchez.
Project Benefits: The current downtown street network is hazardous to pedestrians as it lacks delineated pedestrian areas. The project will increase the protection of non-motorized travelers by updating and adding pedestrian infrastructure. Green space and permeable pavers will be added throughout the downtown area to absorb and filter stormwater runoff. Shade trees will also be planted to mitigate heat-island effects. The project will improve public health by increasing active transportation trips. Improvements will also seek to increase accessibility and visibility in the most prominent areas of historic downtown.
Construction start (estimate): January 2027
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