EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect increased fees.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, Vicksburg National Military Park will increase entrance fees for visitors in order to fund important maintenance and improvement projects within the park.

“This modest increase in fees will allow us to continue to protect, preserve and share the special places here at Vicksburg National Military Park with current visitors and future generations,” said Bill Justice Superintendent Vicksburg National Military Park. “After carefully considering the impact of a fee increase on visitors and community members, we came to the conclusion that this is the right course of action to improve facilities and services important to visitors. Another modest increase will occur in 2017 as well bringing the park up to current fee standards for our tier. ”

Entrance fees have supported a wide range of projects that improve the park and visitor experiences, such as designing and installing new exhibits and a new orientation film, replacing deteriorated cannon carriages, preserving monuments, and creating the commemorative 150th anniversary events.

“We have projects that we have been working on and prioritizing for the next five years,” he said. “They’re all projects that the public will benefit from.”

Currently, annual passes cost $20, and after the increase the price will be $25. Vehicle passes are now $8, but will soon be $12. Admission is now $4 per person or per motor cycle, but those costs will rise to $5 and $7 respectively.

Additional revenue from this fee increase will support renovation of visitor facilities, monument preservation and improved visitor services.

In the fall of 2014, the National Park Service conducted a nationwide review of entrance fees. To solicit public input, Vicksburg National Military Park launched a civic engagement campaign in December 2014.

During the public comment period, the park received formal comments. While the majority of comments supported an increase, many people felt that the original proposal was too much of an increase to make all at once. To respond to public comments, the park modified the proposal to phase implementation of entrance fee increases beginning in 2016, and followed by a second increase on Jan. 1, 2017.

Justice said the park’s annual pass is the best deal in town.

“If you come to the park regularly you should get the annual pass,” he said. “For just $25 a year, you can get into the park 362 days a year. To find a deal like that somewhere else, it’s really extraordinary.”