Draft EIS for NNMC BRAC is finally released
Janet M December 12th, 2007
As the Post reported recently in a page one story, The Navy’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) BRAC has been released and is available for public viewing on the Navy’s NNMC BRAC web site.
The planned expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda will add an estimated 2,200 workers and double the number of patients and visitors at the center’s campus each year, increasing traffic in a congested area of Montgomery County, according to a draft report released by the Navy…
What it does not spell out is who will pay for road improvements that county officials estimate could cost $70 million.
The Gazette ran its own front page story on the release of the draft EIS, stating that it “unveiled the Navy’s analysis and recommendations of the possible dilemma that could result from the merger: a world-class military medical treatment facility surrounded by traffic jams and unsafe intersections.” The article goes on to discuss the Navy’s analysis of the traffic impact, including nearby intersections such as the one at W. Cedar Lane at Rockville Pike. Councilman Berliner is also quoted as warning that “there will be 10 intersections that fail in that area” after the merger if traffic mitigation measures are not taken.
In the same issue, the Gazette published a letter by Ilaya Rome Hopkins of the CMMCN urging all interested parties to stay informed and to work together.
At the Navy Med campus last Thursday, the Navy held a private briefing on the EIS for members of the Montgomery County BRAC Implementation Committee. The EIS is anticipated to be officially published in the Federal Register on December 14th. This will commence the 45 day public comment period ending on or about January 28th. You can submit comments by email, by regular mail to BRAC NNMC, 8901 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda MD 20889, or by fax to (301) 295-5020. You can also call the Navy to obtain information about the DEIS at (301) 295-2722 between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays.
The EIS pertains to the merger of National Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center scheduled for Sept 2011. If you’re a Maplewood resident and want to pass on your comments or help formulate the Maplewood response to the Draft EIS, please contact me.
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