HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The National Park Service (NPS) has completed an Environmental Assessment to enhance visitor safety, improve visitor access at the Paw Paw campground parking lot, and prevent disruptions to towpath continuity that may result from future landslides in the Paw Paw Tunnel Hollow area located in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Allegany County, Maryland. The project is scheduled to begin in spring 2021 and is expected to take two years to complete. During construction, visitors to the park will need to take a detour around the project area as the Paw Paw tunnel will be closed.
This project will remove existing debris from the canal prism that remains from a rockslide in 2016, stabilize the rock face adjacent to the canal, and replace the wooden boardwalk that serves as the towpath for 750 feet of this stretch. It may also include the redirection of Twigg Run along a historic drainage into Gross Run so that it drains into the river through Culvert 210 to protect the canal prism. The project may include the spoiling of rockfall material within designated areas.
A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was signed on September 4, 2020, by the Acting Director, Region 1 - National Capital Area. The FONSI describes why the selected action will have no significant effects on the environment, provides the rationale for the decision, and outlines conservation measures that will be taken to avoid, minimize and mitigate impacts. The FONSI and other planning documents may be reviewed at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/pawpawrockfall2020.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
