Public Comment Period Open for Road Maintenance and Modifications

Date: February 8, 2013
Contact: Sabrina Henry, 435-719-2135

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public comments to help identify issues associated with a proposed road maintenance and modifications project at Arches National Park. Comments will be used to help develop alternative resource protection options to be outlined in an Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzing the effects of conducting such improvements to the park road, pullouts and parking lots within the park.

Proposed road maintenance activities include rehabilitating, restoring and resurfacing approximately 18.2 miles of the park's main entrance road including: the Devils Garden Loop, 2.7 miles of the Windows road including the Windows Loop and parking, approximately 2.2 miles of the Delicate Arch road, the Panorama Overlook road, Salt Valley Overlook road, and the Fiery Furnace road. The park is also proposing construction of loop around road sections at the Devil's Garden and Windows areas, expanding parking options at Devil's Garden, and formalizing or rehabilitating pull-outs along the park's paved road system. The park's entrance station road would also be expanded to include an additional lane intended as a bypass route for future shuttle buses.

The EA will be prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act to provide the decision-making framework that 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet objectives of the proposal, 2) evaluates potential issues and impacts to Arches National Park resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these impacts.

The preferred method to submit public comments is online at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/arch. Click on Park wide Road Maintenance and Modification (Project ID 43632) to view the document. If you wish to be added to this project's mailing list for future planning correspondence, please indicate that in your response. If you are unable to submit comments electronically through this website, then you may submit written comments to the National Park Service, Attention: Planning and Compliance Office, 2282 S. West Resource Blvd, Moab, UT 84532. Please provide all comments by March 12, 2013.