Cover Page

NORTH SHORE ROAD FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
September 2007
Lead NEPA Agency:
National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cooperating Agencies:
Federal Highway Administration, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
Tennessee Valley Authority
United States Army Corps of Engineers
Project Location:
Swain County, North Carolina
Contact:
Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
107 Headquarters Road
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
The purpose of the proposed action is to discharge and satisfy any obligations on the part of the
United States associated with the July 30, 1943, Memorandum of Agreement among the
Department of Interior, Tennessee Valley Authority, Swain County, North Carolina, and the state
of North Carolina. The 1943 Agreement contained a provision for construction of a road through
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), along the northern shore of the newly formed
Fontana Lake. Approximately 7.2 miles of the originally proposed North Shore Road (known as
Lake View Road) have been built within GSMNP. Due to environmental concerns with acid
rock, high construction cost, and construction feasibility, construction of Lake View Road was
stopped in 1972. The need of the project is to determine whether or not it is feasible to
complete the road and to evaluate other alternatives that would satisfy the obligation.
Five alternatives were studied in the EIS, including: No-Action, Monetary Settlement, Laurel
Branch Picnic Area, Partial-Build Alternative to Bushnell, and the Northern Shore Corridor. For
each alternative, direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts were analyzed for a variety of human,
environmental, and cultural resources. The National Park Service Preferred Alternative for
the North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement is the Monetary Settlement
Alternative. The Monetary Settlement Alternative would ensure that resources of GSMNP and
the Appalachian Trail would be unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. It would
fulfill project goals and objectives including the protection of natural, cultural, and recreational
resources. The Monetary Settlement Alternative has been recommended by Swain County and
supported by the state of North Carolina to satisfy the 1943 Agreement.
Questions regarding the North Shore Road Final Environmental Impact Statement may be sent
to the following address:
North Shore Road Project
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
PO Box 30185
Raleigh, NC 27622
Email: [e-mail]