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The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), in conjunction with
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), recently completed a Transportation
Study for the White River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The purpose
of this Study was to identify the core transportation network and appropriate
levels of maintenance for public roads within White River NWR. The primary
objective of the Transportation Study was to develop reasonable alternatives
for the core transportation network within the Refuge, develop a maintenance
plan for the preferred alternative, and develop short- and long-range
transportation plans for future programming.
The entrances and highways/roads providing access to the Refuge were
evaluated as part of the Study. The Study evaluates the Refuge's existing
internal transportation network and develops alternatives for the core
transportation network within the Refuge while taking into account the
mobility, operation, safety and other aspects considered essential by
the FWS and consistent with its values and mission.
Within the Refuge, the Study identifies the roads which are necessary
for public use (accessible by normal passenger vehicles) with appropriate
levels of maintenance, roads which should be closed to public use, roads
that are not categorized as public roads but are open to the public for
recreational activities (i.e., hunting and fishing), roads that are open
to ATV users, and roads which are to be used only for maintenance and
management purposes. The Study also identifies transportation improvement
projects for the five, ten, and twenty year plans within the Refuge with
associated preliminary capital needs and operating costs. In developing
short and long-range plans, the Study took into the consideration the
following factors:
FWS mission;
Consistency with regional goals and policies;
Affordability;
Environmental sensitivity of the area; and
Community or agency endorsement.
The following links are to download electronic copies of the study.
Please be patient as these are very large files.
Transportation Study Appendix
Transportation Study
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