Here you go!
www.nps.gov/kemo/parkmgmt/publicinvolvement.htmManagement AlternativesThe following alternatives for managing the mountain road within Kennesaw Mountain NBP represent ideas presented by professional highway engineers and transportation planners, park staff, park partners and stakeholders, and park visitors. The park seeks comments on these alternatives from all of these sources, and will consider and evaluate these comments within the framework of the park’s legislated purpose and NPS management policies. Any management solution must continue to allow vehicular access to the top of Kennesaw Mountain for interpretive purposes, and must provide for visitor safety.
Note: Kennesaw Mountain has been identified as being significant for world bird conservation and has been officially designated as a globally important bird area. The park’s bird population is the subject of continuing scientific research. Organized bird walks at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park are part of the park’s scheduled interpretive programs. These interpretive walks, conducted by NPS volunteers during the spring and fall months, typically use the mountain road for this activity. The mountain road will be closed to vehicles, including bicycles, during these scheduled programs. The mountain road will also be closed to vehicles during bird research activities that are coordinated with and approved by the NPS.
Alternative #1 – Improve Foot Trail for Accessibility
The foot trail from near the Visitor Center to the top of Kennesaw Mountain was developed to provide pedestrian access to the mountaintop. The existing trail is steep and rocky, with grades exceeding 22%, and is not handicap or stroller accessible. Under this alternative, sections of the foot trail will be rerouted and redesigned as needed to achieve a grade of less than 10%, widened to 6-8 ft. with a compacted or hardened surface that meets accessibility standards.
Pedestrians – The mountain road will be closed to pedestrian use and all foot traffic will be redirected to the foot trail.
Vehicles – The road will be open to private vehicles, including bicycles, Monday through Friday except designated holidays. A shuttle bus will operate on weekends and holidays, when the road will be closed to private vehicles and bicycles.
Alternative #2 – Expand Shuttle Service
Under this alternative, the shuttle bus service will operate 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily year round. The shuttle will operate every 30 minutes Monday through Friday. Frequency may increase to every 20 minutes on weekends and holidays as needed to meet demand. The park has requested funding for a technical study to evaluate the best vehicle for this service in terms of size, technology, and method of acquisition, and will pursue those recommendations as appropriate and dependent upon available funds. The current shuttle fee is $2/adults and $1/children per day. The park is considering implementing an entrance fee. When that occurs the shuttle fee would be incorporated into the entrance fee and there would not be a separate fee to ride the shuttle bus.
Pedestrians – The road would be restriped and flexiposts installed to designate the outside 4 feet of road pavement to serve as a sidewalk. Pedestrian traffic would be required to stay within this designated walkway at all times, including weekends and holidays.
Vehicles – The road would be closed to private motor vehicles and a motorized gate installed at the road entrance to preclude illegal access. All visitors desiring to be transported to the top of the mountain by vehicle would be required to use the shuttle bus. The remaining 16 ft. of road surface would be shared by park and emergency vehicles as necessary, requiring careful communication and coordination with the shuttle bus driver to avoid head-on collisions. The road would be open to bicycles from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily (weekdays and weekends) during daylight savings time. Bicycles would share the remaining 16 ft. of road surface with park and emergency vehicles.
Alternative #3 – Schedule User Groups
Under this alternative, the following schedule of access and closures will be in effect:
Daily, 7:30-10:00 a.m. – Mountain road closed to private vehicles including bicycles; open to pedestrians. Due to use of the road during this time by park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists; walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists.
Monday – Friday, after 10:00 a.m. – Mountain road closed to pedestrians. Road open to private vehicles including bicycles 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. EDT).
Weekends & Holidays, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. EST (8:00 p.m. EDT) – Mountain road closed to private vehicles including bicycles, open to pedestrians. Shuttle bus in operation 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. EDT). Due to use of the road during this time by the shuttle bus and park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists; walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists.
Alternative #4 – Combine Elements of Alternatives #1-3
Under this alternative, the foot trail would be improved for accessibility. The road would be open to pedestrian use from 7:30-10:00 a.m. Due to the use of the road during this period by park and emergency vehicles, pedestrians will be required to abide by laws governing pedestrian use of roadways, i.e. walk on the road shoulder where it exists, and walk to the far outside of the pavement where no road shoulder exists. After 10:00 a.m. the road will be closed to pedestrians and all foot traffic redirected to the foot trail. The shuttle bus service would be expanded to operate 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily year round. The road would be closed to private vehicles, but would be open to bicycles daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. EDT).