In this post a few days ago Dr. Bonart raised objections to the popular Option 4 entrance to the Franklin Mountains State Park and suggested that ongoing review (necessitated by the fact last week's MPO/TPB did not add the entrance to its 4 year plan) is a good thing. After that post, many in the environmental community spurred by alerts from the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition got this
Rebuttal to Bonart:
"Although Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition (FMWC) actively support a safe and effective entrance to the Tom Mays section of the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) using an underpass (TxDOT’s Option 4), Dr. Rick Bonart has another opinion. Dr. Bonarts comments precipitated response from TPWD’s experts.
"Region 1 State Parks Director Deirdre Hisler has been very busy these days, but she has found the time to write us this: “I did however want to provide you with feedback that I have received from our experts regarding Dr. Bonart’s statements in opposition to our preferred option. Darrell Owens is our TxDot coordinator for TPWD and I will be following up this email with statements from our State Parks Master Planner, Chris Beckcom.”
"Here is Darrell Owens’s response:
Click on image to enlarge. Those are mountains behind there - right?
"'The attached photo [sent by Dr. Bonart] shows an elevated crossing on fairly flat ground, which is not to same site condition for proposed option 4. In option 4, the bridge and walls are proposed to cradle into the natural depression of the arroyo, which is a completely different setting than shown in the photo. With option 4, this depressed design along with the undulating terrain and twisting/turning course of the arroyo help conceal [the] long-range view of the crossing from the south side of the loop. On the north side (park side) it would be more visible simply because the park land is at a higher vantage point; however, again the depressed design would allow the current horizontal profile of the land to remain the same since there would not be a bridge and walls sticking up above the already existing highway grade at the park entrance. While the photo shows a similar length bridge and walls, it is in a completely different setting and does not include aesthetic design features (colors/patterns, etc.) that could be included in option 4 to help blend the depressed design into the arroyo to help soften its appearance and reduce noticeability.'"
"And here is TPWD Master Planner Christopher Beckcom’s response. (Note: The original response’s twelve separate paragraphs have been collapsed into six for the sake of saving space.)
"'Here are my thoughts addressing [Dr.] Bonart’s comments[:]
"'Alternative #4 does not require the largest amount of acres [ … The respective acreages are:] Alternative 1: New Road Alignment from Future Plexxar Road to Existing Park Road at Day-use Area ≈ 13.21 acres. Alternative 2: New Road Alignment from Future Paseo Del Norte Road to Existing Park Road Entrance along Loop 375 Right of Way ≈ 3.7 acres. Alternative 3: Raised Grade Separation (Elevated Overpass Design) on the Existing Loop 375 Route ≈ 8.06 acres. Alternative 4: Countersunk Grade Separation (Overpass on Grade Design) on Existing Loop 375 Route ≈ 8.06 acres. Alternative 5: Split Grade Separation (Split-Level Overpass Design) on the Existing Loop 375 Route ≈ 3.48 acres. Alternative 6: No Build – Utilize Existing Loop 375 Entrance ≈ 0 acres.
"'Option #4 as preliminarily designed has three lanes of access road (ramp) running parallel to Loop 375. This could be reduced to one lane per side. The at–grade crossing of lanes that only facilitate the entrance and exit to Franklin Mountains SP is much less daunting and dangerous than crossing a four lane divided highway.
"'Of the options that create a grade separated entrance to FMSP only Option #4 drops the road work below existing grades. The other Options raise the road surface of Loop 375 above its present alignment. By depressing the road into the landscape the greater viewshed is not adversely impacted or expanded beyond current intrusions.
"'The design of the underpass will need to adhere to highway standards for design. However, the cosmetics of the materials had yet to be determined. The photographic examples presented by [Dr.] Bonart are not really comparable to what has been proposed in Option #4. Option #4 is in effect punching a large hole through an existing fill section that rises 50 plus feet above the arroyo. His examples are of overpasses being developed with side retaining walls in a much different setting.
"'Is Option #4 ideal[? Of] course not, because ideally there would not be a 4 lane divided highway built to IH standards cutting a [state park] in half. But that is the setting and it will not be changing in our lifetime. If we are to maintain access to FMSP from Loop 375[,] the safest configuration is a grade separated road entrance. Making a new road into the park to avoid an intersection will only lead to increased loss of parkland to road construction and additional fragmentation of the park.'"
Dr. Bonart replies, "I Stand by My Numbers":
Click on image to enlarge. Note acerage figures in uppler right corner.
"TPWD is wrong on so many aspects of their comments. They are only reporting their donation of acres to the project, not the size of the entire structure.
"See the [picture above]. I stand by my numbers. The size of the Option 4 isn't just the 7.7 acres of TPWD donation, but the 45.2 acres of TxDOT property and the 0.89 acres of temporary (construction ROW). I have accurately reported the footprint of the project in my comments as 50 acres it's 53.79 acres.
"If we could get actual design elevations (never shown in these drawings), you would understand the scar this will be and how disproportionate to human scale."
What Bonart is pointing out is the fact that all we see is a "floor plan" not elevation drawings. As the entrance would be on a slope, it is conceivable to see how the final structure would indeed distract rather than attract.
Click image to enlarge. Notice features favored by Wildlife Biologist Balin
Of course, one of the key criteria for park and environmental people is finding a safe passage for animals. It was reported that, even as Urban Wildlife expert Lois Balin was speaking for Option 4 at last week's MPO meeting, she said that an animal crossing needed a dirt bottom, sloping sides with sunlight clearly detectable on both sides - everything that Option 4 is not. It was observed that as Ms. Balin said this, Bob Bielek, the Regional TxDOT Engineer, threw up his arms in frustration since he couldn't have said it better.
Perhaps Bielek is trying to find a better solution - one not yet proposed, one that will have an animal crossing much more like the standard passageway such as the one in Oregon in the picture above. It's hard for me to cut Bielek or any of those TxDOT people any slack. They are the ones who use public meetings as window dressing and to rubber stamp plans that they have already made. There is no transparency and certainly a pompous disregard of public opinion. There is nothing in their behavior to suggest to me that they will ever care about scientific environmental and ecological opinions. Yet, in the case of the FMSP entrance, they seem to be holding out for a plan with a much smaller footprint than the TPWD or the FMWC.
It may be good that there is more time for review and dialog and I do hope that Bielek and the TxDOT boys will truly dialog with State Park, TPWD and others about this matter. There's time - but not much. The safety of persons entering and leaving the park is very much at stake.
Here's the real kicker for me, the reason why I could just entitle this post "FMWC Fiddles While Birds Die". While all the focus by the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition has been on beating the drums for Option 4 and sending out alerts to get people to the MPO meeting, the Water Improvement District has been tearing up habitat without authority (possibly) along the Montoya and Newmexas Drains in El Paso's Upper Valley. Issues such as the park entrance need time to resolve and for everyone to be heard. The 2013 nesting season along the drains has been abruptly cut short. Although I asked for alerts and raised the issue with FMWC persons, not a word went out. There was as much arrogant silence with them as there has been with TxDOT. Option 4's 53 acres of concrete and asphalt was more important than the destruction of entire ecosystems filled with living creatures. "We know which environmental issues are the best," the Coalition seemed to be saying. Perhaps they might argue that they are about the Franklin Mountains - not ecosystems along the Rio Grande. Yet, they often champion the Rio Bosque miles away. But, again, that is a pet issue as it should be. So should be the wildlife destruction by Chuy Reyes and the WID. Oh, I forget - the FMWC thinks that they need Reyes and must play nice with him for the sake of their Rio Bosque efforts when Reyes really is more and more obsolete.
As upper valley resident, Melissa Sargent, observed in her interview with KVIA this past Tuesday, there is now a dead silence along the drains. Gone is the birdsong of Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Hummingbirds and Willow Flycatchers.
And not so much as a whisper from the FMWC.
[As of this post, no alerts with calls for action such as this one from the FMWC.]
I'm amazed there is little regard for designing with the mountain backdrop by using huge, industrial monoliths as if all is flat and ugly. Let alone the other items you bring up. And frustration with Lois' idea shows they've made up their minds before getting much input.
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