Environmental Impact Statement: Kings County, NY, 18031-18032 [E9-8978]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 74 / Monday, April 20, 2009 / Notices
[FR Doc. E9–8994 Filed 4–17–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–C
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement:
Kings County, NY
rmajette on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
AGENCY: Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), USDOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this
notice to advise the public and other
agencies that a tiered environmental
impact statement (EIS) will be prepared
for a proposed project involving
approximately 1.5 miles of the
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE),
Interstate 278 (I–278) in Kings County,
New York (Project Identification
Number X730.56). This segment of the
BQE extends from Atlantic Avenue to
Sands Street and encompasses 21
structures, including a unique 0.4-mile
triple cantilever structure. The objective
of the tiered EIS is to evaluate
alternatives and make corridor level
decisions regarding the rehabilitation or
reconstruction of the existing facility
and to identify a general alignment and
corridor for proposed improvements.
The tiered approach will allow for a
broad range of solutions and the
appropriate consideration of area wide
environmental and land use impacts,
including the maintenance and
protection of traffic during construction.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey W. Kolb, P.E., Division
Administrator, Federal Highway
Administration, New York Division, Leo
W. O’Brien Federal Building, Suite 719,
Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street,
Albany, New York 12207, Telephone:
(518) 431–4127; or Fred Libove, P.E.,
Project Development Supervisor, New
York State Department of
Transportation, Region 11, Hunters
Point Plaza, 47–40 21st Street, Long
Island City, New York 11101,
Telephone: (718) 482–4565.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
FHWA, in cooperation with the New
York State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT), will prepare
a tiered EIS that will study and
document proposed improvements to a
1.5-mile segment of the BQE (I–278)
between Atlantic Avenue and Sands
Street in Kings County, New York (the
Project). The Project would be the first
major rehabilitation or reconstruction of
this segment of the BQE/I–278 since its
opening in 1954. Based on the results of
on-site inspections of 14 of the 21
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:02 Apr 17, 2009
Jkt 217001
structures as documented in a June 2002
Seismic Evaluation Report (SER)
prepared for the NYSDOT, and the
results of recent inspections of the
remaining seven structures, the current
overall condition of this segment of the
BQE is safe for use by the public.
However, the SER and subsequent
inspections of the structures, indicate
that corrective action will be required
within the next 10 to 15 years to
maintain this segment of the BQE in a
state of good repair.
Need for the Project: The segment of
the BQE/I–278 under consideration
carries a daily volume of approximately
140,000 vehicles and is a critical
transportation link in the New York City
metropolitan area that serves the needs
of the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan,
Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, as
well as areas outside New York City.
The most important bridge along this
segment of the BQE is the unique triple
cantilevered structure. This multi-level
structure carries six lanes of the BQE.
The eastbound and westbound
roadways, with three lanes each, are
carried at separate levels. The eastbound
lanes are located above the westbound
lanes. Furman Street, an important local
connector, runs parallel to the highway
at grade below the westbound lanes of
the BQE. A third cantilever above the
eastbound lanes of the highway
supports the Brooklyn Heights
Promenade, a key community resource
that provides spectacular views of the
East River, Lower Manhattan and the
Statue of Liberty. The remaining bridges
within this segment of the BQE are
comprised of multi-girder steel and
concrete-encased steel structures.
Indirect and circuitous connections
between the Brooklyn and Manhattan
Bridges and the BQE add to the
complexity of this segment of the
highway.
The segment of highway within the
project limits is characterized by narrow
lanes (10.5 feet), lack of shoulders, and
short merge/weave distances near onramps and off-ramps that do not meet
current highway design standards.
These deficiencies, combined with
vertical clearance constraints, and the
approximately 140,000 vehicles using
this segment of the highway each day,
result in the highway operating at or
above capacity during most of the day.
Severe congestion throughout much of
the midday and the diversion of the
highway traffic, particularly truck traffic
because of the vertical clearances, onto
local streets are also operational
deficiencies.
Based on the results of the SER and
periodically scheduled inspections of
the facility by NYSDOT and the New
PO 00000
Frm 00093
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
18031
York City Department of Transportation
(NYCDOT), which owns the facility
within the project limits, the NYSDOT
and FHWA convened an Accelerated
Construction Technology Transfer
(ACTT) workshop in March 2006
attended by a broad range of public
agency staff and private consultants to
consider potentially viable options for
rehabilitating or replacing the
structures, and on ways to alleviate the
severe congestion experienced by
motorists along this segment of the
BQE/I–278. Issues considered in
identifying and evaluating possible
alternatives during the ACTT workshop
included constructability,
environmental impacts, geometric
design considerations, public
involvement/concerns, structural
considerations, traffic, safety, use of
intelligent transportation systems (ITS),
and work zone concerns. Although the
ACTT workshop reached no final
recommendation on which alternative
should be pursued to address the
structural deterioration or operational
issues affecting this segment of the BQE/
I–278, the results of the ACTT workshop
confirmed the need for a more
comprehensive examination of
alternative rehabilitation or
reconstruction options. The results of
the SER and ACTT workshop will be
considered in the environmental review
process initiated with this NOI.
Environmental Review Process: The
EIS will be developed in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (NEPA), the environmental
review provisions of Section 6002 of the
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users (SAFETEA–LU), and the New
York State Environmental Quality
Review Act (SEQRA). The FHWA and
the NYSDOT will use a tiered process,
as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28, in
the completion of the environmental
review of the Project. ‘‘Tiering’’ is a
staged environmental review process
applied to environmental reviews for
complex projects.
The initial phase (‘‘Tier 1 EIS’’) of this
process will address broad corridorlevel issues and proposals. Subsequent
phases or tiers will analyze, at a greater
level of detail, narrower site-specific
proposals based on the decisions made
in Tier 1.
Tier 1: Although open to refinement
based on public and agency review and
comment, the Tier 1 assessment will
result in a NEPA document with the
appropriate level of detail for corridorlevel decisions and will address broad
overall issues of concern, including but
not limited to:
E:\FR\FM\20APN1.SGM
20APN1
rmajette on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
18032
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 74 / Monday, April 20, 2009 / Notices
—Confirm the purpose and need for the
proposed action.
—Determine the logical termini for the
proposed action.
—Define the study area appropriate to
assess reasonable alternatives.
—Identify a comprehensive set of goals
and objectives for the corridor in
conjunction with Stakeholders and
Steering Committee members. These
goals and objectives will be crafted to
allow comprehensive evaluation of all
aspects of the project to include
alignment, mode, limits, etc.
—Identify the range of reasonable
alternatives to be considered,
including consideration of travel
demand management, transportation
systems management, and transit
options consistent with the current
and planned use of the corridor and
the transit needs and existing services
within and adjacent to the study area.
—Develop criteria and screen
alternatives to eliminate those that do
not meet the purpose and need of the
proposed action.
—Identify the general alignment of the
reasonable alternatives.
—Identify right-of-way requirements for
the reasonable alternatives.
—Characterize the overall land use and
environmental consequences of the
reasonable alternatives.
—Establish, as necessary, the timing and
sequencing of independent actions to
maintain a state of good repair.
—Establish the environmental review
process to be followed in completing
subsequent tier evaluations of the
proposed Project.
Tier 2: The second tier assessment
will result in more detailed assessments
of a range of build alternatives within
the general corridor and alignment
identified in the Tier 1 EIS. These
evaluations will be based on a higher
level of engineering detail and
environmental analysis than in the Tier
1 evaluation. It is anticipated that the
subsequent evaluation(s) will:
—Incorporate by reference the data and
evaluations included in the Tier 1
EIS.
—Concentrate on the issues specific to
the selected alternative identified in
the Tier 1 EIS.
—Provide a more detailed evaluation of
transit accommodations if carried
forward from Tier 1.
—Screen the identified alternatives to
determine the alternative that best
meets the purpose and need for the
proposed action.
—Identify the environmental
consequences at a higher level of
detail than in the Tier 1 assessment
and identify measures necessary to
VerDate Nov<24>2008
15:02 Apr 17, 2009
Jkt 217001
mitigate environmental impacts based
on a higher level of engineering detail
than in the Tier 1 EIS.
—Establish, as necessary, the timing and
sequencing of independent actions to
maintain a state of good repair.
Notice of Initiation of the
Environmental Process and Request to
Public Agencies to Become Participating
Agencies in the Environmental Review
Process: In accordance with Section
6002 of SAFETEA–LU, letters will be
sent to all Federal, State and local
agencies, and to private organizations
and citizens who have previously
identified and/or expressed interest in
the project, notifying them of the
initiation of the environmental process
and requesting that they be included as
participating agencies or parties in the
environmental review process. Once the
Draft EIS is certified as complete, it will
be made available for further public and
agency review and comment.
Scoping Process: To assure that the
full range of issues related to the
proposed action is addressed and all
significant issues identified, FHWA and
NYSDOT will undertake an extensive
public ‘‘scoping process’’ that will allow
the public and affected agencies to
provide comment on the scope of the
environmental review process. To
facilitate public comment, a Draft EIS
Scoping Document will be prepared for
public review and comment. Included
in the Draft Scoping Document will be
draft descriptions of:
—Purpose and Need for the Project.
—Alternatives for Study.
—Public Involvement Process.
—Environmental Impact Assessment
Methodologies and Study Areas.
A separate notification will be
published regarding the availability of
the Draft Scoping Document for public
review. Additional opportunities for
comment will also be provided through
a series of public participation
activities. These include:
—Public scoping meetings on the EIS
will be held at a venue within the
project study area, during which the
public will be provided with a
description of information included
in the Draft Scoping Document and
opportunity to comment on the scope
of the DEIS. NYSDOT personnel will
be available at the scoping meetings to
answer questions concerning the
Project and proposed scope of the
DEIS.
—Direct discussions with agencies and
organizations with jurisdiction or
interest in the project corridor and
project area.
—Briefings to elected officials.
PO 00000
Frm 00094
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
—A project Web site that will allow the
public to provide comment over the
Internet.
Comments received from any of these
activities and sources will be considered
in the development of the
environmental document.
Public Hearing: A public hearing will
be held after publication of the Tier 1
DEIS to obtain comments on that
document. Public notice will be given
prior to the hearing regarding its time
and location and process for submitting
comment.
Project Funding: The proposed project
will be funded in part through Federal
programs which assist State
transportation agencies in the planning
and development of an integrated,
interconnected transportation system
important to interstate commerce and
travel by constructing and rehabilitating
the National Highway System, including
the Interstate System.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Number 20.205, Highway Research
Planning and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372,
regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this
program).
Issued on: April 14, 2009.
Jeffrey W. Kolb,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway
Administration, New York Division, Albany,
New York.
[FR Doc. E9–8978 Filed 4–17–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Research and Innovative Technology
Administration
[Docket No. RITA 2009–0001]
Establishing Strategic Direction for the
Intelligent Transportation Systems
Program
AGENCY: Research and Innovative
Technology Administration (RITA),
DOT.
ACTION: Request for public comments.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of
Transportation’s (DOT) Intelligent
Transportation Systems Joint Program
Office (ITS JPO) is requesting public
comments on the proposed direction,
goals, and objectives for the multimodal ITS Program over the next five
years. Comments will be used to shape
a multi-year, strategic, research agenda
that will result in an ITS Program
Strategic Plan in October 2009.
Respondents to this RFI are invited to
comment on any of the items; in
particular, respondents are encouraged
E:\FR\FM\20APN1.SGM
20APN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 74 (Monday, April 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18031-18032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-8978]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement: Kings County, NY
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), USDOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public and other
agencies that a tiered environmental impact statement (EIS) will be
prepared for a proposed project involving approximately 1.5 miles of
the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), Interstate 278 (I-278) in Kings
County, New York (Project Identification Number X730.56). This segment
of the BQE extends from Atlantic Avenue to Sands Street and encompasses
21 structures, including a unique 0.4-mile triple cantilever structure.
The objective of the tiered EIS is to evaluate alternatives and make
corridor level decisions regarding the rehabilitation or reconstruction
of the existing facility and to identify a general alignment and
corridor for proposed improvements. The tiered approach will allow for
a broad range of solutions and the appropriate consideration of area
wide environmental and land use impacts, including the maintenance and
protection of traffic during construction.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey W. Kolb, P.E., Division
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, New York Division, Leo
W. O'Brien Federal Building, Suite 719, Clinton Avenue and North Pearl
Street, Albany, New York 12207, Telephone: (518) 431-4127; or Fred
Libove, P.E., Project Development Supervisor, New York State Department
of Transportation, Region 11, Hunters Point Plaza, 47-40 21st Street,
Long Island City, New York 11101, Telephone: (718) 482-4565.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the New York
State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), will prepare a tiered EIS
that will study and document proposed improvements to a 1.5-mile
segment of the BQE (I-278) between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street in
Kings County, New York (the Project). The Project would be the first
major rehabilitation or reconstruction of this segment of the BQE/I-278
since its opening in 1954. Based on the results of on-site inspections
of 14 of the 21 structures as documented in a June 2002 Seismic
Evaluation Report (SER) prepared for the NYSDOT, and the results of
recent inspections of the remaining seven structures, the current
overall condition of this segment of the BQE is safe for use by the
public. However, the SER and subsequent inspections of the structures,
indicate that corrective action will be required within the next 10 to
15 years to maintain this segment of the BQE in a state of good repair.
Need for the Project: The segment of the BQE/I-278 under
consideration carries a daily volume of approximately 140,000 vehicles
and is a critical transportation link in the New York City metropolitan
area that serves the needs of the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan,
Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, as well as areas outside New York
City.
The most important bridge along this segment of the BQE is the
unique triple cantilevered structure. This multi-level structure
carries six lanes of the BQE. The eastbound and westbound roadways,
with three lanes each, are carried at separate levels. The eastbound
lanes are located above the westbound lanes. Furman Street, an
important local connector, runs parallel to the highway at grade below
the westbound lanes of the BQE. A third cantilever above the eastbound
lanes of the highway supports the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, a key
community resource that provides spectacular views of the East River,
Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. The remaining bridges within
this segment of the BQE are comprised of multi-girder steel and
concrete-encased steel structures. Indirect and circuitous connections
between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and the BQE add to the
complexity of this segment of the highway.
The segment of highway within the project limits is characterized
by narrow lanes (10.5 feet), lack of shoulders, and short merge/weave
distances near on-ramps and off-ramps that do not meet current highway
design standards. These deficiencies, combined with vertical clearance
constraints, and the approximately 140,000 vehicles using this segment
of the highway each day, result in the highway operating at or above
capacity during most of the day. Severe congestion throughout much of
the midday and the diversion of the highway traffic, particularly truck
traffic because of the vertical clearances, onto local streets are also
operational deficiencies.
Based on the results of the SER and periodically scheduled
inspections of the facility by NYSDOT and the New York City Department
of Transportation (NYCDOT), which owns the facility within the project
limits, the NYSDOT and FHWA convened an Accelerated Construction
Technology Transfer (ACTT) workshop in March 2006 attended by a broad
range of public agency staff and private consultants to consider
potentially viable options for rehabilitating or replacing the
structures, and on ways to alleviate the severe congestion experienced
by motorists along this segment of the BQE/I-278. Issues considered in
identifying and evaluating possible alternatives during the ACTT
workshop included constructability, environmental impacts, geometric
design considerations, public involvement/concerns, structural
considerations, traffic, safety, use of intelligent transportation
systems (ITS), and work zone concerns. Although the ACTT workshop
reached no final recommendation on which alternative should be pursued
to address the structural deterioration or operational issues affecting
this segment of the BQE/I-278, the results of the ACTT workshop
confirmed the need for a more comprehensive examination of alternative
rehabilitation or reconstruction options. The results of the SER and
ACTT workshop will be considered in the environmental review process
initiated with this NOI.
Environmental Review Process: The EIS will be developed in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA),
the environmental review provisions of Section 6002 of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU), and the New York State Environmental Quality
Review Act (SEQRA). The FHWA and the NYSDOT will use a tiered process,
as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28, in the completion of the
environmental review of the Project. ``Tiering'' is a staged
environmental review process applied to environmental reviews for
complex projects.
The initial phase (``Tier 1 EIS'') of this process will address
broad corridor-level issues and proposals. Subsequent phases or tiers
will analyze, at a greater level of detail, narrower site-specific
proposals based on the decisions made in Tier 1.
Tier 1: Although open to refinement based on public and agency
review and comment, the Tier 1 assessment will result in a NEPA
document with the appropriate level of detail for corridor-level
decisions and will address broad overall issues of concern, including
but not limited to:
[[Page 18032]]
--Confirm the purpose and need for the proposed action.
--Determine the logical termini for the proposed action.
--Define the study area appropriate to assess reasonable alternatives.
--Identify a comprehensive set of goals and objectives for the corridor
in conjunction with Stakeholders and Steering Committee members. These
goals and objectives will be crafted to allow comprehensive evaluation
of all aspects of the project to include alignment, mode, limits, etc.
--Identify the range of reasonable alternatives to be considered,
including consideration of travel demand management, transportation
systems management, and transit options consistent with the current and
planned use of the corridor and the transit needs and existing services
within and adjacent to the study area.
--Develop criteria and screen alternatives to eliminate those that do
not meet the purpose and need of the proposed action.
--Identify the general alignment of the reasonable alternatives.
--Identify right-of-way requirements for the reasonable alternatives.
--Characterize the overall land use and environmental consequences of
the reasonable alternatives.
--Establish, as necessary, the timing and sequencing of independent
actions to maintain a state of good repair.
--Establish the environmental review process to be followed in
completing subsequent tier evaluations of the proposed Project.
Tier 2: The second tier assessment will result in more detailed
assessments of a range of build alternatives within the general
corridor and alignment identified in the Tier 1 EIS. These evaluations
will be based on a higher level of engineering detail and environmental
analysis than in the Tier 1 evaluation. It is anticipated that the
subsequent evaluation(s) will:
--Incorporate by reference the data and evaluations included in the
Tier 1 EIS.
--Concentrate on the issues specific to the selected alternative
identified in the Tier 1 EIS.
--Provide a more detailed evaluation of transit accommodations if
carried forward from Tier 1.
--Screen the identified alternatives to determine the alternative that
best meets the purpose and need for the proposed action.
--Identify the environmental consequences at a higher level of detail
than in the Tier 1 assessment and identify measures necessary to
mitigate environmental impacts based on a higher level of engineering
detail than in the Tier 1 EIS.
--Establish, as necessary, the timing and sequencing of independent
actions to maintain a state of good repair.
Notice of Initiation of the Environmental Process and Request to Public
Agencies to Become Participating Agencies in the Environmental Review
Process: In accordance with Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU, letters will be
sent to all Federal, State and local agencies, and to private
organizations and citizens who have previously identified and/or
expressed interest in the project, notifying them of the initiation of
the environmental process and requesting that they be included as
participating agencies or parties in the environmental review process.
Once the Draft EIS is certified as complete, it will be made available
for further public and agency review and comment.
Scoping Process: To assure that the full range of issues related to
the proposed action is addressed and all significant issues identified,
FHWA and NYSDOT will undertake an extensive public ``scoping process''
that will allow the public and affected agencies to provide comment on
the scope of the environmental review process. To facilitate public
comment, a Draft EIS Scoping Document will be prepared for public
review and comment. Included in the Draft Scoping Document will be
draft descriptions of:
--Purpose and Need for the Project.
--Alternatives for Study.
--Public Involvement Process.
--Environmental Impact Assessment Methodologies and Study Areas.
A separate notification will be published regarding the
availability of the Draft Scoping Document for public review.
Additional opportunities for comment will also be provided through a
series of public participation activities. These include:
--Public scoping meetings on the EIS will be held at a venue within the
project study area, during which the public will be provided with a
description of information included in the Draft Scoping Document and
opportunity to comment on the scope of the DEIS. NYSDOT personnel will
be available at the scoping meetings to answer questions concerning the
Project and proposed scope of the DEIS.
--Direct discussions with agencies and organizations with jurisdiction
or interest in the project corridor and project area.
--Briefings to elected officials.
--A project Web site that will allow the public to provide comment over
the Internet.
Comments received from any of these activities and sources will be
considered in the development of the environmental document.
Public Hearing: A public hearing will be held after publication of
the Tier 1 DEIS to obtain comments on that document. Public notice will
be given prior to the hearing regarding its time and location and
process for submitting comment.
Project Funding: The proposed project will be funded in part
through Federal programs which assist State transportation agencies in
the planning and development of an integrated, interconnected
transportation system important to interstate commerce and travel by
constructing and rehabilitating the National Highway System, including
the Interstate System.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Research Planning and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372, regarding intergovernmental
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this
program).
Issued on: April 14, 2009.
Jeffrey W. Kolb,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, New York
Division, Albany, New York.
[FR Doc. E9-8978 Filed 4-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P