November 1, 2017Kate Cannon, 435-719-2101

MOAB, UT – The National Park Service (NPS) seeks public input on a plan to help alleviate traffic and parking congestion in Arches National Park.

Arches National Park developed a Traffic Congestion Management Plan (TCMP) to address vehicle traffic and parking congestion problems that affect visitor access, visitor enjoyment, and resource conditions.

Visitation to Arches National Park doubled in the past 11 years, reaching approximately 1.6 million visitors in 2016. During high-visitation season, March through October, visitors routinely wait in long lines to enter the park and then must search for empty parking spaces at all popular sites. Long lines to enter the park cause congestion at the intersection of U.S. 191 and the park entrance road, which can be a serious traffic hazard.

The TCMP proposes a reservation system for entrance during high-visitation season and peak- visitation hours. This system would give visitors certainty of entry, reduce or eliminate long entrance lines, spread visitation more evenly across the day, and improve the visitor experience by ensuring available parking space.

Reservations would be required for vehicle entry between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., seven days a week during high-visitation season (currently March through October, but this may shift as visitation patterns change), and could be made online or by phone through www.recreation.gov.

If the TCMP is approved, full implementation would occur no earlier than March 2019. Online reservations would be available six months before the required reservation start date.

The park will host a public open house on November 16, 2017, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Grand Center, 82 N. 500 W. in Moab, Utah. The public is invited to stop by the open house any time between these hours to gather information, ask questions, and submit written comments.

Park staff invites the public to review and comment on this plan. The plan and environmental assessment will be available for public review and comment November 1, 2017, through December 4, 2017, on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at:

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/EA_Arches_trafficcongestionmanagementplan

Hard copies of the plan and environmental assessment will be available for review at the Southeast Utah Group Administrative Office on Resource Blvd., Arches Visitor Center, and Grand County Public Library.

Comments unable to be made on the PEPC website can be sent to:

National Park Service

Southeast Utah Group

Attn: Planning and Compliance Coordinator

2282 S. West Resource Blvd

Moab, Utah 84532.

Mailed comments must be postmarked by December 4, 2017.

Comments will not be accepted by fax, phone, email or in any other way not stated above.

Public Comment Considerations

Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted.

Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information, be aware that your entire comment—including your personally identifiable information—may be made public at any time. You may ask us to withhold your personally identifiable information from public review, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Results of public comments will influence how the TCMP is implemented.

Deadline for comments is December 4, 2017.