Public comment period opens for additional beach access
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore has released its proposal to facilitate additional beach access to the public.
A public comment period will open July 1 and run through Aug. 2. Public meetings will also be scheduled soon, probably for mid-July.
The Proposal to Facilitate Additional Public Beach Access Project presents an evaluation of two alternatives for various improvements at the seashore.
One is a no action alternative, and the other, the action alternative, lists 29 different projects to provide additional access, including new ramps, walkovers, handicapped accessible walkways, parking lots, and interdunal roads. It also provides for elevating the road at Ramps 43 and 44, which often floods in heavy rain.
The document is 188 pages with maps and sketches of each project. There are also three appendices.
“We invite everyone to comment on this document,” Superintendent Barclay Trimble said today in a media release. “Public participation is vital to the NPS planning process and we appreciate the time and energy the public devotes to commenting and suggestions during this public meeting/scoping that will be evaluated during this planning process.”
Following the comment period a decision on the action to be implemented will be determined. The final environmental assessment will guide park planning and prioritization of beach access infrastructure improvements in the years ahead.
The Proposal to Facilitate Additional Public Beach Access Environmental Assessment is available for public comment on-line at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/beach_access. Members of the public can comment online.
Public read-only copies of this document will be available at the NPS Visitor Centers at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Bodie Island Lighthouse, Ocracoke, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, and Wright Brothers National Memorial; the Dare County Libraries in Hatteras Village, Manteo, and Kill Devil Hills, and the Ocracoke Library. Copies of this document will be available at the scheduled public meetings while supplies last.
Written comments may also be mailed to: Proposal to Facilitate Additional Public Beach Access, c/o Superintendent, Outer Banks Group, 1401 National Park Drive, Manteo, NC 27954.
Comments must be received by 5 p.m. on August 2, 2013.
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF ADDITIONAL BEACH ACCESS PROJECTS
MAP OF ADDITIONAL BEACH ACCESS PROJECTS
