News Release

National Park Service reopens comment period on proposal to repair, raise and resurface towpath

Date: February 6, 2019
Contact: Catherine Bragaw, 301-491-6265

The National Park Service (NPS) is reopening the comment period on our proposal to stabilize a historic stone wall and raise parts of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal) towpath, move it farther from the Potomac River and resurface it. The affected area is between McMahon’s Mill (milepost 88.1) and Lock 42 (milepost 89.0) in Washington County.

 

The comment period will reopen from Wednesday, February 6 to Wednesday, February 20, 2019. We are reopening the comment period to make sure commenters who may have missed the opportunity to share their thoughts during the recent government shutdown have the chance to do so.

 

During the shutdown, the NPS’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment website (PEPC) was offline. PEPC is the primary tool the NPS uses to collect public comments. This prevented the public from sharing their comments and unexpectedly shortened our planned 30-day comment period. The NPS will consider comments we receive during this extended comment period as well as those we received before the government shutdown.

 

High water makes sections of the towpath in this area impassable more than 12 times per year, leaving bikers and hikers to navigate a 3-mile detour on narrow, winding county roads. Without appropriate repairs, people will not be able to enjoy the towpath. In its current state, the path is impassable to vehicles, which prevents NPS and emergency vehicles from reaching injured visitors or employees.

 

How to read the plan and comment

You can read the plan and environmental assessment online through the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) system. Please submit written comments online through PEPC or by postal mail. We will not accept comments by fax, email or social media.

 

Comments may also be submitted by mail to:

Kevin D. Brandt, Superintendent

C&O Canal NHP

c/o McMahon’s Mill Towpath Improvement Project EA

1850 Dual Highway, Suite 100

Hagerstown, MD 21740-6620

 

For further information please contact Catherine Bragaw at e-mail us or 301-714-2238.

 

Please note: Before including an address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment including your personal identifying information may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.