[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58517-58518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29095]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Environmental Assessment for Proposed Improvements Within Jones 
Point Park Under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project

AGENCY: National Park Service.

ACTION: Availability of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the 
proposed mitigation to Jones Point Park (JPP), associated with the 
Woodrow

[[Page 58518]]

Wilson Bridge project. JPP is an approximately 60-acre park owned by 
the National Park Service (NPS) under the jurisdiction of the George 
Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) located in the southeastern corner 
of the City of Alexandria, Virginia.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality regulations and 
NPS policy, the NPS announces the availability of an EA for the 
proposed mitigation to JPP, associated with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge 
project within the GWMP. The EA examines several alternatives aimed to 
develop a long-range plan for JPP, identify desired resource conditions 
and visitor experiences, consider feasible alternatives for future 
development of JPP and provide educational and recreational 
opportunities for visitors while protecting park resources. The need of 
the proposed action is based on the lack of a current comprehensive 
management plan for JPP and the need for mitigation and protection of 
park resources and recreational opportunities for visitors in 
conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. The NPS is 
soliciting comments on this EA. These comments will be considered in 
evaluating it and making decisions pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act.

DATES: The EA will remain available for public comment 30 days from the 
date of publication in the Federal Register. Written comments should be 
received no later than this date.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any 
one of several methods. You may mail comments to: Ms. Audrey F. 
Calhoun, Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run 
Park, McLean, Virginia 22101. You may hand deliver comments to GWMP 
Headquarters, Turkey Run Park, McLean, Virginia. Our practice is to 
make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, 
available for public review during regular business hours. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home addresses from the 
rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. 
There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you 
wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not 
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. The EA 
will be available for public inspection at several libraries in 
Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington, Virginia.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EA for JPP is tiered, i.e., 
procedurally connected to the large-scale Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Specifically, this EA addresses 
the impacts of improvements to JPP, relative to a 1984 Development 
Concept Plan, as well as a part of the mitigation measures outlined in 
the 2000 Record of Decision and 1997 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) 
required for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project. The 1997 MOA was 
prepared by the Federal Highway Administration in consultation with the 
NPS, the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the 
Virginia SHPO, the District of Columbia SHPO, the Advisory Council for 
Historic Preservation, and representatives of a number of other 
concurring parties. JPP contains many recreational amenities such as 
soccer fields, natural areas, fishing piers, historic resources, 
pedestrian trails, and bike paths. The park is traversed by the Woodrow 
Wilson Bridge, which is currently being considered in a larger EIS for 
safety improvements. The proposed improvements to JPP are divided into 
several areas including a park entrance area along South Royal Street; 
a woodland area on the north side of the park; an active recreation 
area north of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge; a waterfront area along the 
Potomac River and Hunting Creek; a parking and ancillary active 
recreation area under the bridge; and a passive/interpretive area south 
of the bridge. All interested individuals, agencies, and organizations 
are urged to provide comments on the EA. The NPS, in making a final 
decision regarding this matter, will consider all comments received by 
the closing date.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Dan Sealy (703) 289-2531.

Audrey F. Calhoun,
Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway.
[FR Doc. 01-29095 Filed 11-20-01; 8:45 am]
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