Bank Repair and Geotechnical Investigation and Monitoring for Vicksburg National Military Park

The Vicksburg National Military Park (VNMP) has a history of slope stability issues due to the erodibility of the loess bluffs upon which the park and national cemetery sit. A landslide of approximately 0.5 acres occurred in February 2020, impacting approximately 200 feet of roadway, displacing nine military graves, and exposing several drainage pipes. While the initial landslide resulted in a vertical displacement of over 6 feet, by March 2020, the road had dropped approximately 12 feet and rotated backwards towards Trindle Circle of the southwest corner of the Indian Mound. The landslide overrode part of the brick wall bordering the cemetery which extends upslope from a monumental archway. Further site visits indicated continuing erosion due to runoff discharges.

As a subconsultant for Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., Mendrop Engineering Resources provided survey services at VNMP. Mendrop established control points and collected survey accurate enough for onefoot contour mapping of the area, established a baseline, and provided cross sections at specified intervals. During the collection of the survey data, Mendrop located exploratory geotechnical borings. Mendrop utilized the field data collected was used to generate maps, drawings, and cross sections for the project.