VICKSBURG, Miss.-- Construction will soon begin on a project to enhance accessibility, safety and infrastructure at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
On Oct. 12, 2021, road closures will begin with a goal of improving Chesapeake Road and South Delaware Road on the west side of station near the main Halls Ferry Road entrance. Construction and road closures are expected to last through approximately May 2022.
“ERDC is a world-class organization, and we’re working to repair a lot of old infrastructure with the future in mind,” said David Rogillio, a mechanical engineer in ERDC’s Installation Support Division, who handles master planning and station improvements. “We’re not only making this a much more efficient roadway from front to back, it’ll be much more maintainable in the future. It’ll improve safety, as well as the overall look of the place.”
In addition to creating safer and simpler interchanges, the work will also result in utilities and communication lines that are buried underground.
“This will make us much more resilient to outages in the future,” Rogillio explained. “It will also help us with water problems and other planned outages, resulting in us cutting off fewer buildings if there is a problem and minimizing the impact.”
“It’s a bit of an inconvenience, but in the long run it will pay big dividends,” Rogillio said. “This is just a phase of improving traffic from front to back at ERDC in Vicksburg.”
With construction scheduled to last through approximately May 2022, the following changes to ERDC-Vicksburg installation gates will begin Oct. 12 and remain in effect for the duration of the project:
Employee Access:
Gate 1 (Main Gate, Halls Ferry Road): Access to Bldgs. 1000, 1006, 1008, 1073, and The Vogel House will be available through this gate between 0700-1700, Monday-Friday only. The gate will open automatically for those needing to exit this gate after hours.
Gate 3 (Halls Ferry Road): Open for employees, visitors, construction contractors and shipping and receiving from 0700-1600 Monday-Friday, not including holidays. Employees and visitors must exit through Gate 6 or Gate 8.
Gate 6 (Intersection of Bazinsky Road and Ohio Road): During this time, Gate 6 will serve as the new main gate, operating 24 hours a day, Monday-Friday, including weekends and holidays.
Gate 8 (ITL): The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) gate will be open for general use from 0700-1700 Monday-Friday, not including holidays. CAC access for those individuals who have been authorized by ITL is still in effect.
Visitor Access:
Guests coming to station must proceed through Gate 1 to Bldg. 1000 to receive visitors badges. To access the rest of the property upon receiving a badge, they must exit Gate 1 and re-enter through Gate 3, Gate 6 or Gate 8.
In the event of any issues, including gate malfunctions, please notify Security at 601-634-3333.