NATCHEZ &045; Sen. Trent Lott probably isn’t in danger of getting any speeding tickets as he heads to the Natchez Trace Parkway grand opening this weekend, but that’s hasn’t always been the case.

&uot;I’ve got some great memories driving on the Trace itself,&uot; Lott said Thursday. &uot;I used to leave Oxford and get on somewhere around Kosciusko and ride down to Jackson where my wife was at Belhaven.

&uot;I remember getting tickets for exceeding 55 miles an hour.&uot;

The completion of the Trace, connecting the pathway for a continuous ride down from Nashville, is something Lott said he’s been waiting a long time to see.

&uot;After over 60 years of talking about it, it’s going to be completed and opened this weekend. It’s a historical occasion.&uot;

Lott said he’s spent most of his political career urging the Park Service to finish the pathway and working to get a $1.5 million highway bill passed five years ago.

A boost in tourism and economy for Natchez now seems inevitable, Lott said.

&uot;It’s a great trip to take (down the Trace) and spend three or four days in Mississippi,&uot; Lott said. &uot;And wind up in Natchez and see the historic sites. It’s clearly going to bring more people to Natchez.&uot;

Lott said he expected the Trace to have a significant impact on Mississippi tourism as a whole because it dissects the state and provides an additional attraction.

&uot;It’s been beautiful, but it hasn’t been convenient,&uot; he said. &uot;Once you get off you aren’t going to drive 60 miles and get back on. Now you can get on at Tupelo and go down to Natchez.&uot;

Lott and Sen. Thad Cochran will be keynote speakers for Saturday’s grand opening. They are part of 25 dignitaries scheduled to attend the event at 2 p.m. on Liberty Road.