[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 95 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34950-34951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-12273]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


National Capital Region; Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Construction of Permanent Security Improvements at the 
Washington Monument in Washington, DC

ACTION: Notice of availability of an Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council of Environmental Quality regulations 
and National Park Service policy, this notice announces the 
availability of an environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed 
construction of permanent security improvements that include a visitor 
access/screening facility, vehicle barrier system, and general 
improvements of the grounds at the Washington Monument in Washington, 
D.C.

DATES: There will be a 30-day public review period for comment on this 
document. Comments on the EA should be received no later than May 23, 
2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the EA should be submitted to: Mr. Arnold 
Goldstein, Superintendent, National Capital Parks-Central, National 
Capital Region, National Park Service. It is recommended, due to delays 
in mail delivery, that comments be provided by telefax at (202) 426-
1835 or by email at [email protected]. Comments may also be 
delivered by messenger to 900 Ohio Drive, SW., Washington, DC 20242. 
Public reading copies of the EA will be available for review on the 
National Park Service website at http://www.nps.gov/wamo, at the 
National Capital Region, National Park Service, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW., 
First Floor Lobby, Washington, DC, 20242, and at the National Capital 
Planning Commission, 401 9th Street, NW., North Lobby, Suite 500, 
Washington, DC 20576. For further information contact: Ms. Sally 
Blumenthal, Deputy Associate Regional Director, National Capital 
Region, National Park Service, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW., Washington, DC 
20242, Telephone: (202) 619-7025. A limited number of copies of the EA 
are available on request.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EA will help National Park Service 
decisionmakers meet the objectives for the design and construction of a 
new permanent screening facility and vehicle barrier system. The 
objectives include improvement of security, improvement of visitor 
flow, provision of outdoor recreation opportunities,

[[Page 34951]]

preservation of cultural landscape quality, improvement of 
accessibility, and preservation of the Monument structure and the 
Monument Lodge.
    The existing concrete jersey barriers and the interim visitor 
security facility obstruct important vistas to and from the Monument 
and Grounds, intrude on the setting of this important national icon, 
and disrupt pedestrian circulation patterns. In addition, the current 
system requires heavy personnel staffing by the U.S. Park Police.
    This EA addresses the environmental consequences of two build 
alternatives, as well as the impacts associated with maintaining the 
status quo. Alternative A (Below-Grade Alternative); Alternative B 
(Above Grade Alternative), and Alternative C (No Action Alternative). 
The two build alternatives are intended to fulfill the security goals 
and objectives for the Monument through three types of physical 
improvements: (1) Visitor screening facility, (2) vehicle barrier 
system, and (3) Grounds improvements.
    Alternative A includes an underground screening facility and 
passageway to the Monument and a landscaped vehicle barrier system of 
walled terraces, a screening berm and pathways. The Monument Lodge 
would be rehabilitated as the portal to the new underground facility. A 
graded system of walled terraces would replace the concrete jersey 
vehicle barriers. Alternative B includes a visitor screening facility 
located above-ground near the Sylvan Theater, away from the primary 
views and vistas. Visitors would travel from the Theater in an above-
ground, double-fenced security pathway to the Monument. Security 
bollards would be placed at the 1-1/4-mile perimeter of the Grounds to 
provide a barrier system that would stop moving vehicles, replacing the 
existing concrete jersey vehicle barriers. The parking lot at 16th 
Street would be removed in both Alternatives A and B, which would allow 
the German-American Friendship Garden to be completed. Alternative C 
would retain the existing structures and elements of the Washington 
Monument Grounds in their existing use and condition. There would be no 
new development or reconfiguration of facilities, and the parking lot 
on the northern portion of the Grounds at 16th Street would remain.
    This EA seeks to determine the potential impacts and recommended 
mitigation measures related to the proposed action or to no action. The 
EA addresses short-term construction-related impacts and long-term 
operational effects, as well as the cumulative impacts that would 
result from this and other projects within the study area. The National 
Park Service has prepared this EA in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act, the Council on Environmental Quality 
regulations implementing that Act, the National Historic Preservation 
Act, and the National Park Service Director's Order-12. This EPA was 
prepared in cooperation with the National Capital Planning Commission.

    Dated: April 24, 2002.
Terry R. Carlstrom,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 02-12273 Filed 5-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-M