DNM plans to rehabilitate road

DINOSAUR I Dinosaur National Monument superintendent Mary Risser is making available for public review and comment an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the rehabilitation of Deerlodge Road. The EA evaluated a no-action alternative and the preferred alternative. Under the no action alternative, the road would not be rehabilitated and the park would continue routine road maintenance and minor repairs as it has in the past. The preferred alternative includes resurfacing, restoring, reconstructing, bank stabilization measures and installing new drainage measures along the 12.7-mile stretch of Deerlodge Road.
The proposed project is not a major road replacement with associated re-routing. The proposed project is being considered to address deficiencies in the condition of the road and safety concerns. The current pavement has exceeded its service life in many locations, which has led to surface cracks, rutting, buckling and unraveling of the pavement edge. In addition, the Yampa River has encroached to within 50 feet of the edge of the pavement in the Oxbow area near milepost 9.5. The road pavement and structural integrity deterioration, drainage problems and bank erosion have impacted the road surface to an unacceptable and potentially unsafe level.
Improving the safety and maintenance of Deerlodge Road requires bank stabilization along approximately 1,500 feet of the bank near milepost 9.5 to prevent further erosion and sedimentation. In addition, a number of road modifications are proposed to address subgrade failure, drainage improvements and improvement of the park entrance pullout and four parking areas.
Because public participation is very important to the success of the project, the NPS encourages your review and comment on the EA. The EA will be on public review for 30 days, with comments accepted through March 8, 2013. The document is available electronically for review and comment online by visiting http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dino. Comments also may be sent to Deerlodge Road
Dinosaur National Monument, 4545 E. Highway 40, Dinosaur, Colo., 81610-9724.
Individuals or groups that submit comments should be aware that their entire comment — including personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time. While individuals submitting comments can ask that their personal identifying information be withheld from public review, the National Park Service cannot guarantee that this will be possible.
We appreciate your input on this project. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Risser, Superintendent, at [email protected] or 970-374-3001.
For general information on Dinosaur National Monument, visit us on the web at www.nps.gov/dino.