Construction started this week and is expected to take about 15 months for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers museum on the city riverfront in Vicksburg.

The future tourist attraction will use a retired ship, the MV Mississippi IV, as its centerpiece.

When the museum is completed, visitors will be able to tour exhibits to learn about the lower Mississippi River.

The project has been funded in phases by Congress and will cost about $16 million.

The museum will become part of a revitalized City Front landscape, which already includes an art park, playground, splash fountain and murals