National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration: Partners in Replacing Storm-Damaged Roads at Gulf Islands National Seashore

Santa Rosa Island is a migrating barrier island in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida. Two park roads on the island, the Fort Pickens Road and J. Earle Bowden Way, were damaged by Hurricane Ivan (2004) and Hurricanes Cindy, Dennis, Katrina, and Tropical Storm Arlene (2005). The National Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration, working together under the Emergency Relief for Federally-Owned Roads Program, considered replacing the roads with the addition of sand berms, sheet pile, and articulated concrete block. However, the agencies ultimately decided to replace the roads with low-cost designs that will have fewer impacts on important natural barrier island processes. The agencies foresee replacing the roads again after future storms, but the low-cost design will enable such replacements to be done quickly and inexpensively. This decision was based on scientific information, and will serve as a model for NPS barrier island management Servicewide.