Fort Clatsop Review of Summer 2005 Operations
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DRAFT REPORT National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Astoria, Oregon Fort Clatsop Review of Summer 2005 Operations DRAFT REPORT September 2005 Form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OMB No. 0704-0188 The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. 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Z39.18 DRAFT REPORT Contents Report Notes and Acknowledgments 2 Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Background 4 Evaluation Objectives 4 Data Sources 5 Fort Clatsop Site Visit 5 Qualitative Interviews 5 Additional Sources 5 The Park 5 Visitation 7 Likely Changes in Conditions in 2006 7 The Alternative Transportation System 8 Mode Split 11 Impacts of the ATS 12 Noise and Local Air Quality 12 Regional Air Quality 12 Land Use 12 Visitor Experience 13 Netul Landing: Netul North 13 Netul Landing: Signage and Parking 15 Tour Buses 18 Transit Service 18 Regional Service 18 Intra-park Shuttle Service 20 Financial Impacts 23 2006 and Beyond 25 Alternatives 25 Alternative Evaluation 27 Recommendations 29 Conclusions 32 Appendix A: Detailed Visitation 33 Visitor Sign-In Book 34 Appendix B: Detailed Traffic Counts 35 Appendix C: Detailed Transit Ridership 39 Appendix D: Analysis of Parking Occupancy and Transit for 2006 41 Fort Clatsop Operations Evaluation, September 2005 1 DRAFT REPORT Report Notes and Acknowledgments This evaluation was funded by the National Park Service Transportation Management Program under the Federal Highway Administration Federal Lands Highway Program. This report was prepared by the U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the following project team: Margaret Petrella, Economic and Industry Analysis Division Scott Smith, Service and Operations Assessment Division Hannah Rakoff, Chenega Advanced Solutions and Engineering Gary Ritter, Service and Operations Assessment Division The Volpe project team wishes to acknowledge Chip Jenkins, Superintendent at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, for his support and cooperation throughout the evaluation. We would also like to thank Pete Field, of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, for his assistance in providing data sources and his valuable feedback. In addition, we greatly appreciate the assistance of Glenda Miller, of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, in providing data sources, and we would like to thank Sunset Empire Transportation District for their willingness to share data and their valuable insights. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the contributions of all the park staff and partners who provided feedback during the evaluation. Fort Clatsop Operations Evaluation, September 2005 2 DRAFT REPORT Executive Summary In 2005, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park celebrates the bicentennial of the winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark expedition at Fort Clatsop. In the summer of 2004 a number of changes in operations were made at Fort Clatsop in anticipation of a large increase in visitation during the Bicentennial. Key changes to systems operations included the opening of Netul Landing as the new gateway to Fort Clatsop; the seasonal closing of the two parking areas near the visitor center; the use of shuttle buses to transport visitors from Netul Landing to the fort, and the expansion of regional bus service to accommodate visitors coming from nearby communities.1 The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) evaluated operations in 2004 and presented a set of recommended changes. With some minor variation, the park implemented these recommendations and requested a follow-on review during 2005. The goal of this current evaluation is to assist the National Park Service (NPS) in assessing park operations, particularly in light of the changes made for the 2005 summer. NPS and its partners will use the findings from the evaluation to help inform decisions regarding operations for next summer. A variety of data sources were used in this evaluation, including a site visit to Fort Clatsop in August 2005; qualitative interviews with partners, park staff, transit bus drivers and visitors; and other data collected by Fort Clatsop and its partners on visitation, parking access and transit ridership. The key findings indicate that: Visitors continue to be very satisfied with their visit to Fort Clatsop The addition of a shuttle stop at Netul south enhanced the visitor experience Enabling tour buses to access the fort visitor center directly during off-peak hours enhanced the visitor experience While visitation increased substantially during the summer of 2005, regional transit use declined significantly As a result, parking capacity at Netul Landing was insufficient on a number of days throughout the summer, particularly during peak hours. Based on these findings, the Volpe Center offers a set of recommendations for enhancing the overall visitor experience in 2006. In brief, some of the key recommendations include: • Maintain the intra-park shuttle to preserve the natural environment near the fort replica. • Consolidate regional transit service into one route based on the existing route to Fort Stevens (Clatsop route). This will reduce the operating cost of the transportation system, and will enable better focus of marketing efforts for transit. • Allow tour buses to go directly to the Fort Clatsop visitor center at all times, with the existing tour bus reservation system being used to regulate the number of tour buses during peak periods. • Maintain current staffing levels at Netul Landing to insure the continued successful management of the visitor experience and the transportation system • Improve the Netul south shuttle stop by moving the handicapped parking spaces, and creating improved signage to mark the currently-used pickup area on the east side of the parking area. • Develop a coordinated effort in the community to promote regional transit use. 1 In 2004, a reservation system with timed tickets was also implemented, but was not successful. It was discontinued after the 2004 summer season. Fort Clatsop Operations Evaluation, September 2005 3 DRAFT REPORT Introduction Background Fort Clatsop (FOCL) is located in northwest Oregon near the mouth of the Columbia River. It is at this site that the Lewis and Clark expedition built the fort where they spent the winter of 1805-06. In 2005 and 2006, Fort Clatsop celebrates the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition, with a number of signature events scheduled for November 2005. Parking near the fort replica is limited, with approximately 55 spaces for cars, buses and recreational vehicles (RVs). Accordingly, an overflow parking area and other amenities were constructed at the River Day Use Area (RDUA), otherwise known as Netul Landing. According to the 2002 environmental assessment, purposes of the RDUA were as follows: • “Reduce vehicular traffic, noise and local air pollution that currently detract from the desired visitor experience at FOCL • Provide additional parking and linkage to the regional shuttle system • Preserve viewsheds along the Lewis and Clark River • Serve as an interpretive programs staging area • Provide for visitor day use activities not currently available at FOCL • Provide for a non-motorized pedestrian connection to link the RDUA to Fort Clatsop • Expand visitor experience throughout FOCL.” During the 2004 summer season, Fort Clatsop and its partners implemented a number of significant changes to operations in preparation for an expected large increase in visitation due to the bicentennial. These changes included: the implementation of a new ticket reservation system; the opening of Netul Landing as the new “gateway” to Fort Clatsop; the seasonal closing of the two parking areas near the visitor center and the fort replica during the summer months (June 14 – September 6); the use of an intra-park shuttle that