[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68158-68160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28519]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Comprehensive 
Transportation Management Plan; Marin County, CA; Notice of Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

    Summary: In accord with Sec.  102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the National Park 
Service--and in coordination with Marin County (California) and the 
California Department of Transportation--is initiating a conservation 
planning and environmental impact analysis process regarding 
transportation access and facility improvements to the roadway network 
between U.S. Highway 101 (at the U.S. Highway 101-State Highway 1 
interchange) and Stinson Beach (Pacific Ocean). This roadway network is 
one of the principal travel corridors connecting the urban centers of 
Marin, San Francisco and the East Bay with National Park sites in 
southwest Marin County and the State Park site of Mount Tamalpais (the 
national park sites include the Muir Woods National Monument, Muir 
Beach, Stinson Beach, and Tennessee Valley). The Comprehensive 
Transportation Management Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
will assess alternatives for improving access to and between various 
park sites to reduce automobile impacts. A key objective

[[Page 68159]]

will be to identify options to reduce traffic congestion and lower 
negative effects of existing transportation infrastructure on priority 
ecological systems. Notice is hereby given that a public scoping 
process has been initiated with the purpose of eliciting public comment 
regarding the full spectrum of issues and concerns, including a 
suitable range of alternatives, the nature and extent of potential 
environmental impacts and appropriate mitigation strategies, and 
perceived ecological benefits that should be addressed in drafting the 
forthcoming EIS.
    Background: The project area comprises a network of roads, bridges, 
trails and parking areas providing access to Muir Woods, Muir Beach, 
Tennessee Valley and Stinson Beach. Some of the key connecting roads 
include California Highway 1, Panoramic Highway, and Muir Woods, Frank 
Valley, and Tennessee Valley Roads. Peak-hour congestion and failing 
levels of service on some of these roads have become concerns for local 
jurisdictions and communities as well as the National Park Service 
(NPS). Also of particular concern is the fact that certain features of 
the existing transportation system encroaches upon and impact natural 
systems within the park lands. These include effects on wetlands, 
floodplains, and riparian corridors. Significant ecological systems 
within the project area include the fresh water streams and riparian 
areas of the Redwood Creek watershed, Coyote Creek, and Easkoot Creek.
    The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is partnering with 
Marin County to prepare a combined Environmental Impact Statement--
Environmental Impact Report. The GGNRA and Marin County are co-lead 
agencies for the environmental review under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), 
respectively.
    The project alternatives will identify actions that improve modes 
of transportation for accessing the national and state park sites in 
the project study area. Alternative transportation modes could include 
public transit, or shuttles. Reservation systems and paid parking also 
will be considered. Another key component of the project will be to 
identify improvements that either reduce or eliminate existing impacts 
of transportation infrastructure (such as roads, parking lots and 
drainage structures) on ecological systems. Key goals and objectives 
for the project are:
    [sbull] Identify and design transportation, access, and facility 
improvements that protect park resources;
    [sbull] Improve alternative access and circulation for visitors and 
residents within the project area;
    [sbull] Reduce traffic congestion in the project area, and on 
roadways to and between national and state park sites;
    [sbull] Improve the quality of the visitor experience, including 
trip travel, while ensuring that access remains safe, dependable and 
affordable;
    [sbull] Improve the health of the ecological resources and systems 
adversely affected by transportation infrastructure within the project 
area;
    [sbull] Improve/enhance design elements for efficient and effective 
transit access to park sites in the project area;
    [sbull] Implement effective transportation links with clean 
technologies to access park sites;
    [sbull] Provide for an effective transit intercept facility for 
visitors to Marin national and state park lands (Note: An intercept 
facility is a parking area or structure providing visitor support 
services, where visitors may leave their automobiles and travel to park 
sites via an alternate system such as buses or shuttle systems--rather 
than driving on congested roadways).
    Public Process to Date: Preliminary public and agency planning 
meetings for the Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan were 
begun in 1999. The GGNRA, with the assistance of the regional 
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, convened an interagency group 
of transportation and resource agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area 
to develop plans for reducing traffic congestion on the regional 
roadway system serving park lands. The Park Lands Transportation 
Taskforce (Taskforce) membership includes GGNRA, Marin County, Federal 
Highway Administration, California Department of Transportation, City 
of Sausalito, California State Parks, and the Golden Gate Bridge and 
Highway Transportation District among other regional agencies.
    Under the supervision of the Taskforce, a public research project 
was conducted in the project area during 2001-2002, and a public survey 
of persons visiting park sites polled approximately 4,000 individuals 
at five park sites during peak, shoulder, and off-peak seasons. 
Information collected included visitor origin and destination, area of 
residence by park site visited, degree of perceived traffic congestion, 
and the purpose or recreation activity related to park visits.
    The GGNRA and Marin County plan to make informal presentations at 
community meetings adjacent to the study areas such as Stinson Beach 
and Muir Beach through September 2002, in addition to a presentation to 
the GGNRA Advisory Commission meeting in July 2002. Five public scoping 
workshops are then planned for Fall 2002. These include workshops at 
the GGNRA Advisory Commission, Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, Tamalpais 
Valley, and in the city of Berkeley (in the East Bay).
    GGNRA and Marin County will develop conceptual approaches to 
identifying action alternatives for the public scoping workshops. 
Following the scoping phase, a full range of preliminary action 
alternatives will be developed and evaluated. The GGNRA and Marin 
County will then host workshops to review these proposed action 
alternatives with the public. GGNRA and Marin County anticipate that 
approximately three action alternatives will be formulated, in addition 
to the No Action Alternative.
    Comments and Public Scoping: As noted, scoping meetings will be 
held during Fall 2002. The locations, dates and time of scoping 
meetings will be announced through a direct mailing, a weblink with 
both GGNRA and Marin County websites, and via local and regional media. 
All interested individuals, organizations and agencies are encouraged 
to attend these meetings to comment orally and/or provide written 
comments or suggestions. Interested persons may also refer to GGNRA web 
site www.nps.gov/goga/admin/planning/index.htm for more information on 
this project.
    A scoping background document will also be available at the above 
Web site, and also can be obtained by writing or telephoning as noted 
below. Comments, suggestions, or relevant information (or requests to 
be added to the project mailing list) should be sent to: Golden Gate 
National Recreation Area, CTMP EIS, Attn: Stephen Laughlin, Building 
201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123 [telephone (415) 561-4941]
    All written comments for the scoping phase of the ElS must be 
postmarked no later than 60 days following the publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. If individuals submitting comments 
request that their name or/and address be withheld from public 
disclosure, it will be honored to the extent allowable by law. Such 
requests must be stated prominently in the beginning of the comments. 
There also may be circumstances wherein the NPS will withhold a 
respondent's identity as allowable by law. As always: NPS will make 
available to public inspection all submissions from organizations or 
businesses and from persons identifying

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themselves as representatives or officials of organizations and 
businesses; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.
    Decision Process: Availability of the draft EIS for review and 
written comment will be announced in the Federal Register notice, as 
well as local and regional news media, GGNRA website, and via direct 
mailing to the project mailing list. At this time, the draft EIS is 
anticipated to be available for public review in the first quarter of 
the year 2004. To ensure further opportunity to comment on the draft 
EIS after it is distributed, additional public meetings will be held 
(dates and locations to be determined). Notice of the availability of 
the final EIS likewise will be published in the Federal Register. As a 
delegated EIS, the official responsible for the final NEPA decision is 
the Regional Director, Pacific West Region. Subsequently, the official 
responsible for implementing the selected Plan would be the 
Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

    Dated: August 21, 2002.
Arthur E. Eck,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 02-28519 Filed 11-7-02; 8:45 am]
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