Visitor Transportation Study for the National Mall and Surrounding Park Areas

National Mall and Memorial Parks » Visitor Transportation Study for the National Mall and Surrounding Park Areas » Document List

Dear Friends and Visitors:

In 2003, The National Park Service (NPS) conducted a Visitor Transportation Study to examine potential future visitor transportation services for the National Mall and surrounding park areas. After receiving public input from an in-depth visitor survey and public meetings, the NPS developed a range of concepts for future services. Thank you to the many people who attended the meetings and provided many ideas to the NPS. With your help, the NPS devised a variety of transportation alternatives, including our preferred alternative, which the NPS feels best meets our goal of implementing a transportation system that is accessible, affordable, educational, sustainable, and integrated into the urban transportation network.

Following the completion of the Visitor Transportation Study in 2006, the NPS completed an Environmental Assessment of all transportation alternatives proposed in the study. This Assessment, which included a two-month public comment period, yielded a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), indicating that none of the five alternatives examined in the study would negatively impact NPS resources in a significant manner. The FONSI was signed by the NPS on February 5, 2010, and has been added to the PEPC website. Already on the PEPC website are the completed 2003 Visitor Transportation Study and the 2006 Environmental Assessment.

Washington, DC is home to a remarkable concentration of monuments, memorials and visitor attractions that symbolize the history and culture of our nation. Since 1969, our transportation goal has been to help visitors access these special locations and understand their significance through the provision of Tourmobile, a concession-run visitor transportation system. As our contract for this service comes to a close at the end of 2010, the National Park Service is exploring the types of vehicles, routes, fuels, and interpretive services to best meet the needs of our modern visitors. With the completion of the Visitor Transportation Study and the forthcoming completion of The National Mall Plan, the NPS is poised to bring all of our excellent planning efforts to fruition. We are excited to continue to work with our partners and friends to implement our shared vision for the National Mall.

Sincerely,

John Piltzecker
Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks