# Presentation: 465228

## Gateway Transportation Study & Aviation Sports and Recreation: Confessions of a Concessionaire 

## Background 

- Transportation Study to evaluate access and circulation improvements at four distinct locations within Gateway National Recreation Area’s (Gateway).
- Floyd Bennett Field has a rich history as an important commercial and military airport.
- The site currently hosts camping, bird watching, model airplanes, community gardens, environmental education programs, airplane restoration, bicycling, jogging, fishing, and other activities focused  around the site’s history.
- NPS is currently working with a
- 	private developer to convert two
- 	of the hangars on the site into a
- 	sports complex.

**Notes:**
Floyd Bennett Field has a rich history as an important commercial and military airport. When the NPS was granted control of the airfield, it sought to preserve this history while providing a wide variety of educational, recreational, and cultural activities. 
The site currently hosts camping, bird watching, model airplanes, community gardens, nature hikes, environmental education programs, airplane restoration, remote control cars, bicycling, jogging, fishing, and other activities focused  around the site’s history. 
To add to these activities, the NPS is currently working with a private developer to convert two of the hangars on the site into a sports complex. The complex would have two ice rinks and other athletic activities, and support a 24 hours a day, seven days a week operation. 

In an effort to update the reality of Floyd Bennett Field, the NPS is looking at means of alleviating this problem. The proposed project will seek to identify any other entrances along Flatbush Avenue that may provide safe access. The use of an additional entrance would allow the park to separate traffic to the sportscomplex from other areas in the park, or to separate business traffic from recreation traffic. These changes must be done in a manner that does not interfere with traffic on Flatbush Avenue, a busy, city owned roadway. As is the case at Riis Park, the NPS will look to work with its neighbors and partners to come to an agreement on the best way to improve conditions at Floyd Bennett Field now and in the future. 

## Background

- The field is also home to
- Marine Reserve Center
- New York City Police Department training facility
- New York City Sanitation training facility
- New York City Board of Education offices.
- the police and sanitation departments must move large vehicles through this entrance, often at high speeds, creating safety concerns for park visitors.
- The current situation is detracting from the park-like atmosphere that the NPS strives to maintain at Floyd Bennett Field.
- Although there are several entrances to this large site, only the southern entrance on Floyd Bennett Boulevard is currently open.

**Notes:**
In addition to these recreation users, the field is also home to an Armed Forces Marine Reserve Center, a New York City Police Department training facility, and a New York City Sanitation training facility, and New York City Board of Education offices. Although there are several entrances to this large site, only the southern entrance on Floyd Bennett Boulevard is currently open. This means that all of the business traffic must intermix with the recreational users to enter the park. Furthermore, the police department and sanitation department must move large vehicles through this entrance, often at high speeds, creating safety concerns for park visitors. The current situation is detracting from the park-like atmosphere that the NPS strives to maintain at Floyd Bennett Field.

## Issues

- Regional Transportation
- Safety
- Security
- Historic Resources
- Natural Resources

**Notes:**
Regional Transportation – Floyd Bennett Field sits along Flatbush Avenue, a major transportation artery connecting Brooklyn and Queens with the Rockaway Peninsula. Congestion and other traffic problems already occur on the road and future uses must not add to these problems. Therefore, the project must consider ways to reduce congestion and/or internalize congestion within the field itself. 
Safety– A number of safety concerns already exist at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and the entrance to Floyd Bennett Field. Once on site, additional safety issues exist as park visitors interact with vehicles coming to the park, and vehicles associated with the other site users. The proposed alternatives should avoid creating additional safety concerns, and attempt to find ways of alleviating current problems.
Security –The site’s other users include the New York Police Department and the U.S. Armed Forces; both require high levels of security than the rest of the site. New access or circulation proposals should identify routes for these users to reach their destinations. Additional security concerns exist around the proposed sportscomplex. The complex has the potential to serve clientele 24 hours a day/7 days a week, while the rest of the site is closed. Therefore, the proposed project should seek to find ways to provide access to the complex without opening the remainder of the field. 
Historic Resources – Floyd Bennett Field’s connections to early commercial aviation and U.S. military operations, have led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is of such unique value, that it is currently being considered for National Landmark status.  While many of the runways and hangars that contribute to this unique nature have already been impacted, the proposed project should avoid and further impacts.  
Natural Resources – Although the Jamaica Bay Unit is located in the heavily impacted New York City environment, it is capable of maintaining a variety of natural resources, as evidenced by the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Within Floyd Bennett Field, the NPS strives to maintain the Grassland Management Areas located between the runways. These runways provide excellent bird habitat for native species and those flying through the region. The proposed project should avoid any impacts to these areas. 

## Interagency Involvement

- NPS
- Corps
- SHPO
- NYCDOT
- NYC Police
- etc

## Results

- Retain existing entrance
- Entrance placed by Visitor Center
- Entrance placed by sports complex
- Direct access
- Curb cut and median opening
- Signalized entrance
- Left turn lane
- 7/24 Access

**Notes:**
Preferred Alternative
The Preferred Alternative at Floyd Bennett Field is Alternative D as described in the DCP/EA/AoE (page 37and Figure 11). The Preferred Alternative will retain the existing entrance at Floyd Bennett Field Drive and create two new signalized entrances – one at the Visitor Center and one near the new sports complex. The current entrance will continue to provide access to the entire site, via Runway 15-33; however, the intent will be for it to be used only by those visitors destined for specific programs and activities held in the eastern section of the site: such as the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Reserve Center, the NPS administrative buildings, and the Ecology Village and Environmental Studies Center. 
The Visitor Center Entrance will be installed outside the Ryan Visitor Center, in the core of the site’s historic airport features. The new entrance will be aligned with Old Runway 6-24 to create a grand, park-like entrance adjacent to the gated, historic entrance loop in front of the Ryan Visitor Center. The Visitor Center Entrance will provide access to the primary historic and recreational areas of the park. Safe access to the entrance will be provided by a new traffic signal, which will control a new median opening, with 200-foot left turn lanes, within the Flatbush Avenue right of way. To accommodate this new signalized turn, the existing U-turn median opening located north of the new entrance will be closed. This work will occur within the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) right of way. 
The Visitor Center Entrance will require a new roadway across the old tarmac area outside of Hangar 7 and 8. The new roadway will be approximately 400 feet long and 26 feet wide, extending from Flatbush Avenue to the existing internal roadway. Pedestrians and bicyclists will continue to use the existing entrance loop as an access/egress point.
Some development will need to occur on NPS property, as well. This work includes relocating the existing marina driveway on the south side of Flatbush Avenue to align with the new signalized intersection. In addition, a 300-foot segment of the bikeway on the eastern side of the road will be realigned with the crosswalk at the new Visitor Center Entrance driveway. 
In addition to the Visitor Center Entrance, a new north entrance will be created on the western edge of the new sports complex land assignment. This entrance will provide direct access to the sports complex and the northern portion of the Field. To create this entrance, a new curb cut and median opening will be constructed as a signalized entrance along Flatbush Avenue. An appropriately sized left-turn lane in the southbound side of Flatbush Avenue will be included in this development. The reconstruction work will occur within the NYCDOT Flatbush Avenue right of way. Work on the NPS lands associated with this entrance will involve minor realignment of the bikeway (so that it crosses the driveway at the proper location and angle needed to maximize the visibility of bikeway users to motor vehicle drivers). 
The alternative also includes several modifications to the internal site circulation. Runway 12-30 and Runway 1-19 will be closed to vehicles. In addition, Runway 6-24 will be closed up to Taxiway     T-10. Access to the radio-controlled model airfield will be rerouted from Runway 6-24 to a taxiway section between Runway 6-24 and Runway 1-19 (Figure 11 in the DCP/EA/AoE). The signage plan along Flatbush Avenue and within the site will be improved as part of this alternative to direct users to the proper entrance. 
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) access route through the Field will also be relocated. Instead of entering and exiting the site via the south entrance, the NYPD vehicles will use the new Visitor Center Entrance and drive straight down Old Runway 6-24 to reach their site. The New York City Department of Sanitation (NYCDOS) will also use this new entrance. 

## PRA-NATR 1J15, 2A15Replacement of Natchez Trace Parkway Bridges over Threet and Lindsey Creeks, Lauderdale County, Alabama

## Problems

**Problems**

- Federally-listed threatened aquatic species, Slackwater Darter
- Natchez Trace Parkway – keep traffic on the Parkway
- Fill material from temporary detours

**Notes:**
The FWS was sensitive to impacts to the slackwater darter from FHWA projects because of a prior project.  The fill material making up the adjacent detour was washed into the critical habitat of the slackwater darter.  Therefore the FWS was very against the use of fill material for a detour.  
NPS wanted to keep vehicles on or adjacent to the Parkway to have the least impact to park visitors.  Visitors are typically unfamiliar with the area, older, and driving RVs with trailers.  A detour to local roads could confuse the drivers, also local county/rural roads may not be able to handle large recreational vehicles.  

## Solutions

**Solutions**

- Use of local roads as a detour route
- Shorten the construction duration
- Debris shields
- Two-phased procurement process

**Notes:**
After coordination with the Lauderdale County Engineer, TN and AL FWS, and NPS, EFL Design, Construction, and Acquisitions we were able to come to agreement to get the FWS Formal Consultation and NEPA completed and the project advertised.

Agreed to use local roads as a detour route with public involvement, appropriate signing, and a shorter duration of use.  We were able to improve the county roads as part of the project, which will help the county.

We were able to minimize the impacts to the slackwater darter through the use of debris shields, and we were able to shorten the duration of construction through contract incentives/disincentives.  The use of a two-phased procurement process made sure that a qualified contractor would be selected.  Defined a “no-zone” for the contractor, and worked with the contractor and FWS to select a work platform for the crane that would not impact the darter or its critical habitat.

## Slide 12

**Notes:**
With one detour route on local roads, we avoided the construction of three adjacent detour routes, minimizing impacts to the darter, vegetation, etc. while also upgrading local roadways.