TAKE NOTICE that the Federal Highway Administration intends to make a de minimis impact finding for use of recreational space under Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, proposing to temporarily close a portion of the Blackwood Railroad Trail (Gloucester Township Health and Fitness Trail) in Gloucester Township, in connection with the replacement of the Route 42 Bridges located at Mile Post 10.21. The requirements for a de minimis impact finding are that the project does not adversely affect the activities, features, and attributes that qualify the resource for protection under Section 4(f); the officials with jurisdiction over the property are informed of the intent to make the de minimis impact finding based on their written concurrence; and the public has been afforded an opportunity to review and comment on the effects of the project on the protected activities, features, and attributes of the Section 4(f) resource. The proposed impacts include temporary closure and use of the Blackwood Railroad Trail during reconstruction of the Route 42 bridges. This portion of the trail may be publically accessible during some periods of construction depending on project needs. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has made a commitment to keep the Blackwood Railroad Trail open as much as possible during the summer months and will return the trail to its pre-construction conditions.
Written comments on the finding of de minimis impacts may be submitted to Brenna Fairfax, Supervising Environmental Specialist, NJDOT, PO Box 600, Trenton, NJ 08625-0600. Public comment on the proposed impacts to the Blackwood Railroad Trail will be accepted until August 18, 2017.
