Transit Center parking project OK'd

A plan to expand the Apgar Transit Center’s parking lot to accommodate up to 195 more motor vehicles has been approved by the National Park Service.

A finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the project was signed by the NPS Intermountain Regional Director on July 13. The Park Service received 12 comments on the environmental assessment released in April 2012. None were opposed, and eight expressed support.

The parking lot expansion is intended to accommodate increased visitor use resulting from relocation of the Apgar Visitor Center to the Transit Center. Work on the project is expected to take place this fall and next spring and last about eight weeks.

The parking lot will be extended about 90 feet to the north and 90 feet to the east to provide about 190-195 spaces, including nine accessible spaces and 21 RV or oversized vehicle spaces.

The Apgar Transit Center was built in 2007 to accommodate the Park’s new shuttle system, which was intended to mediate traffic impacts from the Going-to-the-Sun Road rehabilitation project. Thousands of visitors often use the facility during the busy summer season, the Park Service says, and the parking lot is typically full in July and August.

The Park Service plans to move the Apgar Visitor Center from its current location inside a small, converted house in the center of busy Apgar Village to the Transit Center in the near future. The Park Service calls the move a first step toward developing a visitor center and museum at the site, as called for in the 1999 General Management Plan.

The FONSI is available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ApgarTransitParking.