Environmental Impact Statement: Harris County, Texas, 65775-65776 [2011-27359]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 205 / Monday, October 24, 2011 / Notices
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[FR Doc. 2011–27434 Filed 10–21–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement:
Harris County, Texas
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
AGENCY:
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1508.22
and 43 TAC § 2.5(e)(2), the FHWA and
the Texas Department of Transportation
(TxDOT) are issuing this notice to
advise the public that an environmental
impact statement (EIS) will be prepared
for the proposed North Houston
Highway Improvement Project, in Harris
County, Texas. The proposed project
and study limits begin at interchange of
United States Highway (US) 59 and
State Highway (SH) 288 and follow
northward along IH 45 to the
interchange of IH 45 and Beltway 8
North, a distance of approximately 16
miles. The proposed project area also
includes portions of IH 10, IH 610, US
59, SH 288 near the downtown area, and
the Hardy Toll Road located north of
downtown Houston. The proposed
project will be developed in compliance
with Section 6002 of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users (SAFETEA–LU) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Gregory Punske, P.E., District Engineer,
Federal Highway Administration—
Texas Division, 300 East 8th Street,
Room 826, Austin, Texas 78701.
Telephone: 512–536–5960.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
North-Hardy Planning Studies:
Alternative Analysis Report (Highway
SUMMARY:
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Time
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15:34 Oct 21, 2011
Jkt 226001
Component) was completed in
November 2005. The report evaluated
the alternatives for transportation
improvements within the study corridor
and recommended a locally preferred
alternative to meet the corridor’s
highway transportation needs, while
minimizing impacts to the surrounding
environment.
Projected increases in population and
employment in the Houston
metropolitan area will contribute to
additional IH 45 congestion, which is
already serious to severe. The proposed
project is needed to address the serious
to severe congestion and to
accommodate existing and anticipated
future traffic. Additionally the project is
needed to bring the roadway up to
current design standards, which would
improve safety and provide for more
efficient movement of people and goods.
Additional efficiency is also needed to
aid in evacuation events. The purpose of
the proposed project is to manage the
traffic congestion in the IH 45 corridor,
improve mobility, provide expanded
transit and carpool opportunities, bring
the roadway facility up to current
design standards to improve safety and
operations, and expand capacity for
emergency evacuations.
The EIS will evaluate potential
impacts from construction as well as
routine operations of the proposed
project, including, but not limited to the
following: Impacts or potential
displacements to residents and
businesses; impacts to air and noise;
impacts to water quality; impacts to
waters of the United States; impacts to
historic and archeological resources;
impacts to hazardous materials; impacts
to floodplains; impacts to socioeconomic resources (including
environmental justice and limited
English proficiency populations);
indirect impacts; cumulative impacts;
impacts to land use; impacts to
vegetation; and impacts to wildlife.
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A Project Coordination Plan will be
provided in accordance with Public Law
109–59, Safe, Accountable, Flexible,
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU), Title
VI, Subsection 6002, Efficient
Environmental Reviews for Project
Decision Making, August 10, 2005, to
facilitate and document the lead
agencies, structure interaction with the
public and other agencies, and to inform
the public and other agencies of how the
coordination will be accomplished. The
Project Coordination Plan will promote
early and continuous involvement from
stakeholders, agencies, and the public as
well as describe the proposed project,
the roles of the agencies and the public,
the project need and purpose, schedule,
level of detail for alternatives analysis,
methods to be used in the
environmental analysis, and the
proposed process for coordination and
communication.
The Project Coordination Plan is
designed to be part of a flexible and
adaptable process. The Project
Coordination Plan will be available for
public review, input, and comment at
public meetings, including scoping
meetings and hearings, held in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
through the evaluation process.
Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. Chapter 1,
Subchapter 1, Section 139 of SAFETEA–
LU, cooperating agencies, participating
agencies and the public will be given an
opportunity for input in the
development of the project. The first of
a series of public scoping meetings,
conducted in an open house format, is
planned to be held in the fall of 2011.
As part of the NEPA process, this
meeting will be the first in a series of
meetings to solicit public comments
throughout the planning process.
A scoping meeting is an opportunity
for participating agencies, cooperating
agencies and the public to be involved
E:\FR\FM\24OCN1.SGM
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65776
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 205 / Monday, October 24, 2011 / Notices
Memorial Drive to County M, The
project will also reconstruct I–43 from
US 41 to Atkinson Drive and reconstruct
the Velp Avenue, I–43, and County M
interchanges. The I–43/US 41
interchange will be reconstructed as a
System Interchange with directional
ramps and will include a realignment of
the US 41 mainline, raising of the
northbound gradeline, and elimination
of existing access between Velp Avenue
and I–43 via US 41. The project limits
on US 41 extend from Memorial Drive
to County M, a distance of
approximately 3.5 miles and the project
limits on I–43 extend from US 41 to
Atkinson Drive, a distance of
approximately 2 miles. The project also
includes construction of roundabouts,
construction of new bridges and
replacement of existing bridges.
DATES: By this notice, the FHWA is
advising the public of final agency
actions subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). A
claim seeking judicial review of the
Federal agency actions on the highway
project will be barred unless the claim
is filed within 180 days of publication
of this Federal Register notice. If the
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Federal law that authorizes judicial
Program Number 20.205, Highway Research,
review of a claim provides a time period
Planning, and Construction. The regulations
of less than 180 days for filing such
implementing Executive Order 12372,
claim, then that shorter time period still
regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities, apply to this applies.
program.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tracey Blankenship, Major Projects
Issued on: October 13, 2011.
Program Manager, Federal Highway
Gregory S. Punske,
Administration, 525 Junction Road
District Engineer, Austin, Texas.
Suite 8000, Madison, Wisconsin 53717;
[FR Doc. 2011–27359 Filed 10–21–11; 8:45 am]
telephone: (608) 829–7510 or, e-mail:
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
Tracey.Blankenship@dot.gov. The
FHWA Wisconsin Division’s normal
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION office hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. central
time. For the Wisconsin Department of
Transportation (WisDOT): Danielle
Federal Highway Administration
Block, PE, Wisconsin Department of
Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions Transportation, US 41 Brown County
on Proposed Highway Project in
Project Office, 1940 West Mason Street,
Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54303; telephone:
(920) 492–2212; e-mail:
AGENCY: Federal Highway
Danielle.Block@dot.wi.gov.
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
ACTION: Notice of Limitation on Claims
hereby given that FHWA has taken final
for Judicial Review of Actions by
agency actions subject to 23 U.S.C.
FHWA, Army Corps of Engineers
139(l)(1) by issuing approvals for the
(USACE), and Other Federal Agencies.
following highway project: US 41
SUMMARY: This notice announces actions (Memorial Drive to County M), Brown
taken by the FHWA that are final within County, Wisconsin, Project I.D. 1133–
10–01. The project involves providing
the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). The
additional capacity on approximately
actions relate to a proposed highway
3.5 miles of US 41 from Memorial Drive
project, US 41 (Memorial Drive to
to County M, reconstructing
County M) in Brown County,
approximately 2 miles of I–43 from US
Wisconsin. Those actions grant
41 to Atkinson Drive, and
approvals for the project. The project
reconstructing the Velp Avenue, IH–43,
will widen the US 41 freeway mainline
and County M interchanges on US 41.
from 4 to 6 lanes and add auxiliary
The actions taken by FHWA, and laws
lanes at certain locations along US 41
under which such actions were taken,
northbound and southbound from
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
in defining the need for and purpose of
the proposed project, to assist in
determining the range of alternatives
considered in the draft EIS, and to
comment on methods to evaluate
alternatives. Public scoping meetings
and a public hearing will be held during
appropriate phases of the project
development process. Public notices
will be published in general circulation
newspapers in the project area at least
30 days prior to the meeting, and again
approximately 10 days prior to the
meeting. The notices will be published
in English and Spanish stating the date,
time, and location of each. The Draft EIS
will be available for public and agency
review and comment prior to a public
hearing.
To ensure that the full range of issues
related to this proposed action are
addressed and all significant issues
identified, comments and suggestions
are invited from all interested parties.
Comments or questions concerning this
proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to FHWA at the address
provided.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:34 Oct 21, 2011
Jkt 226001
PO 00000
Frm 00096
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
are described in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
for the project, approved on July 7, 2011
(FHWA–WI–EIS–11–01–F), in the
Record of Decision (ROD) issued on
October 4, 2011, and in other
documents in the FHWA/WisDOT
administrative record for the project.
The FEIS, ROD, and other project
records are available by contacting
FHWA or WisDOT at the addresses
provided above.
The FEIS can also be viewed on the
project Web site: https://
www.us41wisconsin.gov/overview/
special-project-features/
envdocsmemorialdrtocountym.
This notice applies to all Federal
agency decisions as of the issuance date
of this notice and all laws under which
such actions were taken, including but
not limited to:
1. General: National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321–
4351]; Federal-Aid Highway Act
(FAHA) [23 U.S.C. 109 and 23 U.S.C.
128].
2. Air: Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401–
7671(q)].
3. Land: Section 4(f) of the
Department of Transportation Act of
1966 [23 U.S.C. 138 and 49 U.S.C. 303],
Section 6(f) of the Land and Water
Conservation Act as amended [16 U.S.C.
4601], Farmland Protection Policy Act
of 1980 [7 U.S.C. 4201–4209], and
National Trails System Act [16 U.S.C.
1241–1249].
4. Wildlife: Endangered Species Act of
1973 [16 U.S.C. 1531–1543 and Section
1536]; Fish and Wildlife Coordination
Act [16 U.S.C. 661–666(c)]; Migratory
Bird Treaty Act [16 U.S.C. 760c–760g].
5. Historic and Cultural Resources:
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966, as amended
[16 U.S.C. 470(f) et seq.]; Archeological
Resources Protection Act of 1977 [16
U.S.C. 470(aa)–470(ll)]; Archeological
and Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C.
469–469(c)]; Native American Grave
Protection and Repatriation Act [25
U.S.C. 3001 et seq.].
6. Social and Economic: Civil Rights
Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000(d) et. seq.];
American Indian Religious Freedom Act
[42 U.S.C. 1996]; Americans with
Disabilities Act [42 U.S.C. 12101];
Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real
Property Acquisition Act of 1970 [42
U.S.C. 4601 et seq. as amended by the
Uniform Relocation Act Amendments of
1987 [Pub. L. 100–17].
7. Wetlands and Water Resources:
Clean Water Act (Section 404, Section
401, Section 319) [33 U.S.C. 1251–
1376]; Land and Water Conservation
Fund [16 U.S.C. 460l–4 to 460l–11]; Safe
Drinking Water Act [42 U.S.C. 300(f)–
E:\FR\FM\24OCN1.SGM
24OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 205 (Monday, October 24, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65775-65776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27359]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement: Harris County, Texas
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to 40 CFR 1508.22 and 43 TAC Sec. 2.5(e)(2), the
FHWA and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are issuing
this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement
(EIS) will be prepared for the proposed North Houston Highway
Improvement Project, in Harris County, Texas. The proposed project and
study limits begin at interchange of United States Highway (US) 59 and
State Highway (SH) 288 and follow northward along IH 45 to the
interchange of IH 45 and Beltway 8 North, a distance of approximately
16 miles. The proposed project area also includes portions of IH 10, IH
610, US 59, SH 288 near the downtown area, and the Hardy Toll Road
located north of downtown Houston. The proposed project will be
developed in compliance with Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA-LU) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gregory Punske, P.E., District
Engineer, Federal Highway Administration--Texas Division, 300 East 8th
Street, Room 826, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: 512-536-5960.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The North-Hardy Planning Studies:
Alternative Analysis Report (Highway Component) was completed in
November 2005. The report evaluated the alternatives for transportation
improvements within the study corridor and recommended a locally
preferred alternative to meet the corridor's highway transportation
needs, while minimizing impacts to the surrounding environment.
Projected increases in population and employment in the Houston
metropolitan area will contribute to additional IH 45 congestion, which
is already serious to severe. The proposed project is needed to address
the serious to severe congestion and to accommodate existing and
anticipated future traffic. Additionally the project is needed to bring
the roadway up to current design standards, which would improve safety
and provide for more efficient movement of people and goods. Additional
efficiency is also needed to aid in evacuation events. The purpose of
the proposed project is to manage the traffic congestion in the IH 45
corridor, improve mobility, provide expanded transit and carpool
opportunities, bring the roadway facility up to current design
standards to improve safety and operations, and expand capacity for
emergency evacuations.
The EIS will evaluate potential impacts from construction as well
as routine operations of the proposed project, including, but not
limited to the following: Impacts or potential displacements to
residents and businesses; impacts to air and noise; impacts to water
quality; impacts to waters of the United States; impacts to historic
and archeological resources; impacts to hazardous materials; impacts to
floodplains; impacts to socio-economic resources (including
environmental justice and limited English proficiency populations);
indirect impacts; cumulative impacts; impacts to land use; impacts to
vegetation; and impacts to wildlife.
A Project Coordination Plan will be provided in accordance with
Public Law 109-59, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Title VI,
Subsection 6002, Efficient Environmental Reviews for Project Decision
Making, August 10, 2005, to facilitate and document the lead agencies,
structure interaction with the public and other agencies, and to inform
the public and other agencies of how the coordination will be
accomplished. The Project Coordination Plan will promote early and
continuous involvement from stakeholders, agencies, and the public as
well as describe the proposed project, the roles of the agencies and
the public, the project need and purpose, schedule, level of detail for
alternatives analysis, methods to be used in the environmental
analysis, and the proposed process for coordination and communication.
The Project Coordination Plan is designed to be part of a flexible
and adaptable process. The Project Coordination Plan will be available
for public review, input, and comment at public meetings, including
scoping meetings and hearings, held in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) through the evaluation process.
Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. Chapter 1, Subchapter 1, Section 139 of SAFETEA-
LU, cooperating agencies, participating agencies and the public will be
given an opportunity for input in the development of the project. The
first of a series of public scoping meetings, conducted in an open
house format, is planned to be held in the fall of 2011. As part of the
NEPA process, this meeting will be the first in a series of meetings to
solicit public comments throughout the planning process.
A scoping meeting is an opportunity for participating agencies,
cooperating agencies and the public to be involved
[[Page 65776]]
in defining the need for and purpose of the proposed project, to assist
in determining the range of alternatives considered in the draft EIS,
and to comment on methods to evaluate alternatives. Public scoping
meetings and a public hearing will be held during appropriate phases of
the project development process. Public notices will be published in
general circulation newspapers in the project area at least 30 days
prior to the meeting, and again approximately 10 days prior to the
meeting. The notices will be published in English and Spanish stating
the date, time, and location of each. The Draft EIS will be available
for public and agency review and comment prior to a public hearing.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or
questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to FHWA at the address provided.
(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: October 13, 2011.
Gregory S. Punske,
District Engineer, Austin, Texas.
[FR Doc. 2011-27359 Filed 10-21-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
