(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is extending the public comment period on its plan to ease congestion at the Kilauea summit area, with a new deadline to provide feedback pushed back to March 31st, 2024.

The National Park Service says its Kilauea Summit Area and Corridor Management Plan will identify solutions to reduce conflicts among vehicles and pedestrians on park roads and trails that traverse the often-crowded summit of the volcano.

Since 2008, when significant eruptive activity returned to the Kilauea summit for the first time since 1924, park visitation has soared with most drawn to see the summit caldera. The National Park Service says the high concentration of vehicles and people in the area often results in full parking lots, lines of traffic at the entrance station, crowded overlooks, and frustrated visitors.

Damage to roads and infrastructure as a result of the 2018 summit collapse has made the situation worse, especially with the loss of the Jagger Museum and certain surrounding trails.

An online newsletter shows a map of the area under consideration, and describes the goals of the project, which could include alternative visitor use management options to better pace the timing and flow of visitation.

The comment period for the plan began on February 22nd. The park encourages input, especially from those who hold a deep connection to Kilauea, who participate in cultural protocol, and recreate or conduct business within the park.