Atomic City Transit shuttle bus picking up passengers recently at the Bandelier National Monument Visitor Center. Courtesy/BNM
BANDELIER News:
The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a Transportation Plan/Environmental Assessment (plan/EA) to improve transportation conditions in Bandelier National Monument.
More than three decades of studies and workshops have documented transportation and congestion management challenges in Bandelier National Monument, including traffic congestion at the monument entrance and a lack of adequate parking in Frijoles Canyon. Recent fires and flooding events have contributed to a reduction in available parking in Frijoles Canyon further challenging the monument’s transportation system.
To offset reduced parking in Frijoles Canyon, the monument is currently partnering with Los Alamos County and Atomic City Transit to provide emergency shuttle service from the White Rock Visitor Center to Frijoles Canyon. However, the shuttle service is temporary and long-term strategies to address the monument’s transportation issues have not yet been developed and implemented.
Based on comments received during the public scoping phase of the project, analysis of transportation and visitor use data collected during 2012, and information gathered from previous planning studies, NPS has drafted four preliminary action alternatives to address transportation needs in Bandelier National Monument. In addition to the action alternatives, a “No Action” alternative is included for consideration.
A newsletter with additional information about the draft alternatives is posted on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/band.
The NPS encourages the public to review the alternatives newsletter and provide comments on the PEPC website. As Bandelier’s Superintendent Jason Lott said, “Bandelier is your national monument and your input is valued. You can expect we will take your comments seriously, and factor them directly into the decisions we make in this plan.”
Comments also may be mailed directly to the monument:
Monument Superintendent
Bandelier National Monument
15 Entrance Road
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Public comments would be most helpful if received no later than Sunday, June 23.
NOTE: Before including an address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, please note that your entire comment including your personal identifying information may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that this will be possible.
