By Megan Ashley Fink

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Crews began paving the way this week for the next phase of the Natchez Trails Project.

Natchez Public Works Supervisor Justin Dollar said visible progress on the St. Catherine Street portion of the trails may be seen as soon as early December, but much depends on weather.

“These are all estimates,” Dollard said. “A lot could happen.”

The work on St. Catherine will begin, Dollar said, once the sidewalks are poured near the bluff on Broadway and Madison streets.

Dollar said the curbs and gutters of the sidewalk were necessary before the asphalt on Broadway could be resurfaced.

Crews were pouring sidewalks at the intersection of Broadway and Madison streets on Tuesday morning. Dollar said the crew would go to St. Catherine Street after completing the work near the bluff, which will be in five to six working days, weather permitting.

Broadway Street will be overlaid simultaneously with the St. Catherine trails in the coming weeks.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted at its Nov. 10 meeting to overlay Broadway Street in preparation for the Tricentennial celebration of the city’s founding, next year, and in conjunction with the work on the Natchez Trails Project.

Dollar said the heavy rains Tuesday evening would not damage the work completed so far, but may slow down progress for a few days.

Planning for the extensive trails project began in 2005. In July, the City of Natchez withdrew the contract for the second phase of the project from Live Oak Construction and granted it to Simmons Erosion Co., which is currently undertaking the construction.

Historic Natchez Foundation Executive Director Mimi Miller said 27 informational plaques for the St. Catherine Street trails are already completed.

“The plaques have been done,” Miller said. “They’ve been in our hall for several years.”

Miller said the plaques put elsewhere downtown were erected first because the infrastructure and sidewalks were already in place.

“What was complicated about St. Catherine is it isn’t a matter of just putting plaques out … It’s not just a trails project,” Miller said. “There was a whole street improvement project.”