I have always felt that the proposal to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety on the Jungle Trail by closing a section of the northern portion to vehicular traffic warrants serious consideration, given the continuing problems with speeding vehicles, the trail’s narrow width, and limited line-of-sight visibility.
However, when I heard Ruth Stanbridge state that the proposal would endanger the trail’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places, I became concerned.
I called Jim Gabbert (202-354-2275), the National Register of Historic Places Program historian/reviewer for Florida. He informed me that this issue is governed by 36 CFR Part 800.
Under those regulations, he said the proposed change to the trail would not trigger any state or federal review of the trail’s register listing because the proposed change does not involve “federal money, a federal license, or a federal permit.”
Gabbert also noted that even if the proposed change somehow involved “federal money, a federal license, or a federal permit,” it would still not affect the trail’s listing in the register because the change would not have any “adverse physical or environmental impact on the site.”
In fact, limiting use by motor vehicles — particularly trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles — would probably have a physical/environmental benefit by limiting wear and tear to the road bed and adjoining right of way.
There may be other reasons why one might object to closing a portion of the Jungle Trail. However, it seems clear based on the information provided by the National Register of Historic Places Program Historian that the proposed change would not in way affect the trail’s listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
Hugh Aaron, Vero Beach