Gateway National Recreation Area begins planning process for the Fort Tilden Shore Road - Shoreline Resiliency project, Queens, New York

The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration - Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate a range of alternatives to address access, safety, and shoreline resiliency at Fort Tilden, Gateway National Recreation Area due to changes brought about by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Hurricane Sandy caused physical changes to the Fort Tilden shoreline and beach area, creating a new environment with safety, access, and resource questions that need to be addressed. These changes affected historic resources on and adjacent to the beach, including Shore Road, the bulkhead and jetty system, Battery Kessler, Buildings 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 323, and created new beach habitat suitable for threatened and endangered shorebirds and plants.

The purpose of this project is to understand the potential impacts from future storm events on natural and cultural resources, infrastructure, and the safety of surrounding communities, and use this to guide the siting and design of Shore Road, address safety in response to the exposed bulkhead, as well as inform the consideration of future coastal protection measures.

The NPS is currently soliciting comments from interested agencies, groups and individuals and encourages your participation throughout the planning process. We invite you to share your comments and ideas about the project at a public open house on February 25, 2015 date from 6:00-8:00 pm at the following location:

Gateway National Recreation Area
Ryan Visitor Center
Floyd Bennett Field
50 Aviation Road
Brooklyn, NY 11234

The NPS has announced a 30-day public scoping period through March 20, 2015. The NPS is currently in the scoping phase of the proposed project and invites you to submit written suggestions, comments, and concerns regarding the project in accordance with NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Topic Questions Instructions:

You may use these questions to frame your response or provide other comments on access, resiliency, resource, and safety concerns brought about by Hurricane Sandy. Your comments and opinions are important to the planning process.

Topic Questions:

1. How did you use the beach at Fort Tilden prior to Hurricane Sandy? How has the storm damage changed your use of this beach?

2. How do you currently access Fort Tilden Beach? Did the damage to Shore Road impact your access to Fort Tilden Beach?

3. Should Shore Road be rebuilt, why or why not? Where should Shore Road and any beach access points be located?

4. Do you have suggestions on how to make Shore Road resilient to future storm events?

5. What do you value about your experience at Fort Tilden Beach?

6. Are there long-term resiliency concerns you may have regarding natural and cultural resources or the surrounding communities?

7. Please provide any other issues or concerns you may have concerning this project

Document Content:

Fort Tilden Signed Dear Friends.pdf   (76.8 KB, PDF file) NEW_Project Area Map 8 021115_v2.pdf   (1.5 MB, PDF file) Fort Tilden public scoping presentation_25Feb2015.pdf   (1.8 MB, PDF file) Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.