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Reconstruct Park Route11 FLHP 3R from mile post 7.5 to mile post 19.74 PMIS 51926 and PMIS 90299

Joshua Tree National Park » Reconstruct Park Route11 FLHP 3R from mile post 7.5 to mile post 19.74 PMIS 51926 and PMIS 90299 » Document List

Public Comment Sought on Project to Reconstruct Park Route 11
from Milepost 7.5 to Milepost 30.21


The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands Highway Division, has prepared an Environmental Assessment that proposes to reconstruct and rehabilitate approximately 23.5 miles of Park Rt. 11, the Pinto Basin Road, at Joshua Tree National Park. The primary objective of the project would be to improve road safety conditions for the Pinto Basin Road. The proposed action would include widening, realigning, and modifying the existing 20- to 22-foot-wide paved road to a 24-foot- wide road, with a design speed of 35 or 45 miles per hour. The speed limit would depend on the location along the roadway. It would also redesign and realign the road to improve sight distances at Cholla Cactus Garden, Porcupine Wash, and at the Pinkham Canyon Road intersection. The proposed action is part of a phased effort to rehabilitate many of the park's primary roadways in accordance with the 1995 Joshua Tree National Park General Management Plan.

The EA is also available for public review on the World Wide Web at the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website (http://parkplanning.nps.gov). You may access an electronic draft of the EA by selecting 'Joshua Tree National Park' in the 'Choose a park' menu. Printed copies of the EA are available for public review at the following libraries:

Yucca Valley Public Library
57098 29 Palms Highway
Yucca Valley, CA 92284

Twentynine Palms Public Library
6078 Adobe Road
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

Palm Desert Public Library
73-300 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92260

You may also obtain a copy of the EA by contacting Joshua Tree National Park at the address below, or by telephone at 760-367-5502.

As part of the public involvement process, a public meeting will be held on July 28 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. to review the Environmental Assessment and receive public comments. The meeting will be held at the park's Black Rock Visitor Center, 9800 Black Rock Canyon Road, Yucca Valley, CA. National Park Service staff will be on hand to discuss the proposed alternatives and to answer questions from the public. Copies of the Pinto Basin Road Environmental Assessment will be available at the meeting.

Comments on the Environmental Assessment must be submitted in writing. They may be submitted by mail to the Superintendent at Joshua Tree National Park, 74485 National Park Drive, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597, or submitted by email to: jotr_publiccomments@nps.gov. Please include the phrase "Pinto Basin Road" at the top of your comments or in your email subject line. Comments will be accepted that have been postmarked or transmitted no later than August 13, 2011.

Please note that names and addresses of people who comment become part of the public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identity may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Such requests must be stated prominently in the beginning of the comments. As always, the NPS will make available to public inspection all submissions from organizations or businesses and from persons identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations and businesses; and, anonymous comments may not be considered.



Contact Information

Park Superintendent
Joshua Tree National Park
74485 National Park Drive
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597