Extension of the Multiuse Pathway in the Sandy Hook Unit (Phase 3)

Gateway National Recreation Area (Gateway) is proposing to extend the existing Multiuse Pathway (MUP) in Sandy Hook to improve safety and enhance recreational opportunities within the unit. The MUP allows nonmotorized visitors such as pedestrians, cyclists, in-line skaters, and wheelchair users to safely enjoy the park without competing with motorists. The proposed action would add two new segments to the MUP, totaling approximately 1.5 miles of new trail. One segment would be constructed at the Nine Gun Battery and the other would be developed in Fort Hancock between Magruder Road and Gunnison Beach. NPS began developing the initial segments of the 12-foot wide MUP in 2000 to promote nonmotorized use of the park and create a safer environment for visitors. The first phase of the MUP, completed in 2004, was approximately 5.5 miles in length and provided nonmotorized access from Sandy Hook's entrance to the Fort Hancock ferry landing. The second phase, which was completed in 2008 and 2009, added approximately 3.1 miles of trail and created a loop between the North Beach Plaza, the Gunnison Beach Plaza, and the Mortar Battery at Fort Hancock. Although the existing MUP has improved safety within Sandy Hook for nonmotorized visitors, there are still areas where pedestrians and bicyclists must share the roads with motorized vehicles, creating potentially unsafe conditions. Phase 3 of the MUP would close these gaps in the existing trail system.

In order to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NPS is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) that will analyze the environmental effects of this proposal to extend to the existing MUP. We are currently in the scoping phase of this project and are seeking public input on the project. Comments received during this initial scoping period will be used to help define the issues and concerns to be addressed in the EA. The public also will have an opportunity to comment on the project when the EA is released. The EA is expected to be available for public and regulatory review in the fall of 2012, and implementation would begin once funding becomes available.

We welcome your input on the MUP extension project. To share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns with us, we encourage you to comment electronically via the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gate. You also are welcome to mail comments directly to the park at:

Unit Coordinator Sandy Hook
Gateway National Recreation Area
58 Magruder Road
Fort Hancock, NJ 07732

Your comments would be most helpful to us if we receive them no later than August 10, 2012. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including personal identifying information, may be made publically available at any time. Although you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.

Contact Information

Comment electronically via the PEPC website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gate or mail comments directly to the park at:

Unit Coordinator Sandy Hook
Gateway National Recreation Area
58 Magruder Road
Fort Hancock, NJ 07732