Natchez, ACL Break Ground On Dock

American Cruise Lines (ACL) and the city of Natchez, Miss., broke ground September 16 on a new Mississippi River cruise dock that the company describes as its largest port infrastructure project to date.

The dock, at the foot of Silver Street in the Natchez Under-the-Hill district, is intended to let the city handle more cruise passengers and to advance its long-term goal of becoming a port of embarkation, where river cruises begin and end.

WLBT-TV in Jackson reported the dock is the centerpiece of a $5 million investment by ACL.

The groundbreaking was held during the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative’s fall meeting, hosted by Natchez, and drew mayors from lower Louisiana to Minnesota, according to the city.

“This is a groundbreaking for a new era of tourism on the Mississippi River,” ACL President and CEO Charlie Robertson said. “We are ready to partner with communities along the river to build more docks and grow tourism throughout the Mississippi River corridor.”

The project centers on a 270-foot gangway that will give passengers ADA-compliant access from the boat directly to the existing landing, according to plans the Natchez Preservation Commission approved unanimously in May. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History also approved the project.

ACL passengers now use a nearby boat ramp that is not handicapped accessible, The Natchez Democrat reported.

The gangway will use a truss system supported by pile structures, with the truss extending up to 6.5 feet above the walkway. From where the piles meet the ground to the top of the truss, the structure will measure about 45 feet, much of it underwater, depending on river stage.

The commission asked that the gangway be painted gray to match the Mississippi River bridge.

City officials say the dock will also serve as a public river access point for residents and visitors, WLBT reported. Officials have not released a completion date.

In March 2025, aldermen unanimously approved a lease with ACL for the city-owned Ferry Street property off Silver Street. The dock is being built at the company’s expense, according to local coverage at the time.

“Today’s groundbreaking is significant not only for Natchez, but because it represents a new level of commitment by America’s largest cruise company to tourism along the Lower Mississippi River,” Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said.

Gibson said the new dock moves the city closer to a long-held vision of “Natchez, the jewel of the Mississippi,” joining New Orleans and Memphis as a port where river cruise passengers can begin and end their journeys.

Regular commercial air service returned to Natchez-Adams County Airport in July, with United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines connecting through Houston. Plans are also underway to reopen the historic Eola Hotel downtown as a Marriott Tribute Portfolio property.

Gibson said that when commercial air service, major new river infrastructure and the redevelopment of the Eola are considered together, “you begin to see a much larger picture.”

“We are creating the connectivity that allows people not simply to visit Natchez, but to arrive here, stay here, begin their journeys here and experience more of Natchez and southwest Mississippi,” he said.