VINP officials hope the Lind Point Trail work will be funded in 2015.
National Park Service officials recently announced their finding of “No Significant Impact” for the proposed construction of a shared use path to connect the V.I. National Park Visitors Center and Honeymoon Bay along part of Lind Point Trail.
While the paved path will not be an inclusive trail — the staircase at the Lind Point trail head means people with limited mobility would still have a difficult time — it will make walking down to Honeymoon an easier endeavor, explained V.I. National Park Superintendent Brion FitzGerald.
“The trail will not be fully accessible, but it will be easier for people with some mobility issues,” said FitzGerald. “The trail will help some of our visitors and will be a place for people who might not be stable on their feet or who don’t want to hike some of the rougher trails. Or for someone who shows up unprepared for hiking from a footwear standpoint.”
In many areas of the trail, the pathway is wider than the proposed four foot wide distance for the new paved trial, FitzGerald added.
With the finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed trail, the next phase of the project will be to receive funding — expected to be around $500,000 and granted in FY 2015, according to FitzGerald.
“Given how long it takes to get accounting passed, our hope is that we would get a confirmation of a budget passed in the fall and by early January we would have the ability to bid the job with work starting in the off season during the summer months,” said the VINP Superintendent.
It has not been determined what material will be used for the paving of the trail, FitzGerald added.
Copies of the finding of No Significant Impact are available at the Park Visitor Center at 1300 Cruz Bay Creek in Cruz Bay, St. John. Directions to the center are available online (www.nps.gov/viis) or by phone at 340-776-6201.
The finding of No Significant Impact will also be available on the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website http://parkplanning.nps.gov. Under “Documents by Park” click on “Virgin Islands National Park” and follow the link to “Shared Use Path.”