Pinto Basin Road to be Renovated

The National Park Service is beginning to explore alternatives for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of approximately 23.5 miles of Pinto Basin Road at Joshua Tree National Park. The proposed action is part of a phased effort to rehabilitate many of the park’s roadways in accordance with its 1995 General Management Plan. The primary objective of the project would be to improve road safety conditions for Pinto Basin Road.

The proposed action would include widening, realigning, and modifying the existing 20- to 22-foot-wide paved road to a width of 24 feet, with a design speed of 35 or 45 miles per hour. The speed limit would depend on the location along the roadway. The proposed action would also realign the road to improve sight distance at Cholla Cactus Garden, Porcupine Wash, and at the Pinkham Canyon Road intersection.

The National Park Service intends to develop alternatives for this project and prepare an environmental analysis for public review. The park welcomes input during the public scoping phase of the project.

Questions and/or comments must be submitted in writing. Comments may be submitted by mail to: Superintendent, Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597, or by email to [e-mail]. Please include the phrase “Pinto Basin Road” at the top of your comments or in your email subject line. Comments will be accepted throughout this scoping process; however those that have been postmarked or transmitted no later than February 11, 2011 will be of the most use.

Names and addresses of people who comment become part of the public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identity may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Such requests must be stated prominently in the beginning of the comments. As always, the NPS will make available to public inspection all submissions from organizations or businesses and from persons identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations and businesses; anonymous comments may not be considered.