Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park Traffic Impact Study & Subarea Transportation Plan
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), using funds provided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is sponsoring a consultant study to investigate changes in traffic patterns in and around the Chickamauga Battlefield Park resulting from the completion of the US 27 relocation in Walker County, Georgia. At the request of the NPS, GDOT has agreed to manage and administer this study. The study's partners also include the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency.
The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military Park (CCNMP) was the first national military park in the United States. It commemorates, "the sites of Civil War battles fought September through November 1863 for control of the City of Chattanooga ... and the passage to Georgia and Alabama."
The CCNMP lies in an area that is experiencing growth pressures. Specifically, Fort Oglethorpe, Walker County, and Catoosa County are rapidly growing communities for the greater Chattanooga area. Both counties are located within the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Regional Planning area. The City of Fort Oglethorpe serves as the gateway to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This study allows for the opportunity to balance the diverse transportation needs within and outside the Park.
For more information on the CCNMP and its surrounding communities, please visit:
The study has the following goal and objectives:
Goals
- Minimize adverse impacts on the CCNMP and its resources from traffic within the study area boundaries.
- Insure that the transportation system meets the mobility needs of the community and region.
Objectives
- Reduce non-park vehicular traffic volume on park roadways.
- Provide adequate transportation facilities for park users on park property.
- Provide a safe transportation system.
- Promote the development of alternative modes and connections between modes.
- Improve north-south connectivity east of the Chickamauga Park area.
- Improve image of the department.
Public and stakeholder involvement is an important element of the project. The study will involve key stakeholders and the public at key phases of the project.
The outcome of the study will include a program of transportation improvements and recommendations for gateway corridors providing access to the Park and a set of recommendations to be considered by NPS in preparation of the Park's new General Management Plan.