NATCHEZ — Two Natchez officials will head to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with legislative representatives in hopes of keeping several projects in Natchez at the forefront of the delegation’s minds.

Natchez City Engineer David Gardner and Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins will meet with Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Gregg Harper this week to update the leaders on the progress of various projects happening in the city.

Gardner said his main objective for the trip is to lobby for funds to complete the four-laning of the portion of U.S. 84 known as the El Camino corridor. The corridor runs from Brunswick, Ga., through El Paso, Texas.

Gardner is a member of the El Camino Commission and said he, along with other commission members, will meet with representatives from Alabama, Louisiana and possibly Georgia about the project.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland and other Concordia Parish representatives will also make the trip to Washington, D.C. Copeland said last week the completion of the corridor was essential to the economic development of the Miss-Lou.

Gardner said the corridor is important to Natchez and the surrounding areas, and Gardner said he is hoping it can be finished soon.

“This project is only as good as its completion,” Gardner said. “And it could mean a lot for our area.”

Another item on Gardner’s list for the trip is the National Scenic Byways Program, which Gardner said is in danger of being eliminated. Gardner said the funding for the Roth Hill bridge came from the program and funds also go to the Natchez Trace Parkway.

“It’s not going to affect the money for the bridge, but it could definitely affect future funding,” he said.

Gardner said he will also lobby for the National Resource Conservation Commission’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program. He said Natchez has received $16 million from the program in the last 18 years that has allowed the city to undertake emergency measures to protect property from erosion and flooding.

The city currently has $500,000 in funds pending from the program, Gardner said, for work to eight or nine sites in the city.

The National Park Service will also be a topic of conversation during the trip. Gardner said he will talk to Cochran about potential legislation to allow the city to complete the transfer of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center to the National Park Service. Gardner said Cochran has been very involved in the project, and Gardner said he wants to emphasize the importance of the transfer.

“The park service will be able to allocate more money for the maintenance of the building, so it’s important we get it off the city’s inventory and onto the park service’s inventory,” he said.

Jenkins said she cannot legally lobby as a National Park Service employee and will only be attending the trip to give the representatives progress reports on various projects the National Park Service is involved in around the city.

“Since I’m not going to lobby, I’m not trying to get a desired a result,” Jenkins said. “But the more that (the representatives) know about Natchez, the more Natchez will come to mind and they will think of us.”

Jenkins said she will be talking to the representatives about legislation that will allow the park service to acquire land at the Forks of the Road. Jenkins said she has sent a legislative packet for the project, but she is waiting to hear for the U.S. Department of the Interior on whether or not NPS will for sure try to acquire the land.

Jenkins said she will also bring the representatives up to speed on the park service’s restoration efforts at Melrose that she said the service hopes to complete this year, as well as NPS’s plans for Fort Rosalie in preparation for Natchez’s tricentennial celebration in 2016.

“Rosalie is so crucial to the city’s tricentennial,” she said. “And we’re going to be doing a lot of work at the site to try and prepare for that.”

The park service is also very involved in the ongoing celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Jenkins said. The superintendent said she wants to inform the representatives of the work NPS will be doing with tour homes during the year to sharpen the focus and improve the tours for the city’s visitors.

Gardner and Jenkins both said the are optimistic about the trip and look forward to showcasing the projects important to Natchez.

“It’s important to maintain your relationship with your representatives so they know what’s important to your city,” Gardner said. “You may not always get immediate results, but we usually get results.”

Mayor Jake Middleton was scheduled to attend the trip.

But Middleton said Sunday he will forego the trip to attend a tentatively scheduled work session with the Natchez aldermen tomorrow for the board to discuss the provisions of the recently proposed amendment to the city’s lease with Roth Hill casino developers.

“When you’re stuck on something like this, the only way to move forward is to talk about it,” Middleton said.

“And I trust David and Kathleen to represent Natchez well and let our representatives know about the projects that are important to our city.”