Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, City of Newport News and City of Hampton to the City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth, City of Suffolk, and City of Chesapeake, Virginia, 36038-36039 [2015-15419]
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36038
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 120 / Tuesday, June 23, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement, City of Newport News and
City of Hampton to the City of Norfolk,
City of Portsmouth, City of Suffolk, and
City of Chesapeake, Virginia
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement.
AGENCY:
The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) in cooperation
with the Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT) will prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the
Hampton Roads Crossing Study Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
The purpose of the SEIS is to evaluate
new information regarding
environmental impacts and the
alternatives described in the March
2001 FEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Edward Sundra, Director of Program
Development, Federal Highway
Administration, 400 North 8th Street,
Suite 750, Richmond, VA 23219; email:
Ed.Sundra@dot.gov; (804) 775–3357.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Description of the Proposed Action
and Background—In 1991, the
Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act allocated demonstration
funds for a number of innovative
projects which included the I–64
crossing of Hampton Roads. A Major
Investment Study of the crossing was
completed in 1997, and the Hampton
Roads Crossing Study Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
was issued in March 1999. The FEIS for
the study was issued in March 2001,
identifying Candidate Build Alternative
(CBA) 9 as the preferred alternative.
FHWA selected CBA 9 in a Record of
Decision that was issued in June 2001.
In 2003, FHWA completed a National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reevaluation after VDOT received
unsolicited proposals from the private
sector to build the project. Efforts to
advance the private sector proposals
were eventually terminated, but
portions of CBA 9, collectively known
as Patriots Crossing, were re-evaluated
in 2013 because there was support to
move forward on that section. At the
time, no federal action was taken in
response to the re-evaluation because
there was no funding to construct the
project in the Hampton Roads
Transportation Planning Organization’s
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
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18:39 Jun 22, 2015
Jkt 235001
fiscally constrained long range
transportation plan. FHWA and VDOT
also studied separate improvements to
the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in a
DEIS that was issued in December 2012.
A preferred alternative was not selected
following the circulation of the DEIS,
and the study has not advanced. With
a separate notice, the Notice of Intent to
prepare an EIS for the Hampton Roads
Bridge Tunnel will be cancelled.
Regardless, this SEIS will review
information from the Hampton Roads
Bridge Tunnel DEIS, Hampton Roads
Crossing Study FEIS/ROD, and the
NEPA re-evaluations referenced above
and incorporate relevant information
into the SEIS; revisit the purpose and
need; update the alternatives and
impacts analyses; and assess impacts
not previously evaluated in these NEPA
documents.
2. Alternatives—Alternatives to be
considered for the proposed project will
include but not be limited to the NoBuild Alternative and the selected
alternative from the 2001 FEIS/ROD
(CBA–9). The selected alternative, as
described in the FEIS/ROD, would begin
on the Peninsula at the I–664/I–64
interchange in the City of Hampton and
would widen I–664 to the I–64/I–264
interchange in the City of Chesapeake.
An interchange with I–664 near the
south approach structure of the Monitor
Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel
would provide a connection to a new
roadway and bridge tunnel extending
from I–664 over to I–564 in the City of
Norfolk. A second interchange on the
new facility would provide a connection
to a new roadway running south along
the eastern side of Craney Island,
terminating at Virginia Route 164
(Western Freeway) in the City of
Portsmouth. Revisions to the location of
the alignment between Craney Island
and Virginia Route 164 will be
evaluated because of new information
regarding the land use in the area.
Consideration will also be given to the
alternatives from the 1999 DEIS to
improve the Hampton Roads Bridge
Tunnel (CBA–1) and an alternative to
extend the improvements included in
CBA–1 south to I–564 where a new
bridge tunnel would cross the Elizabeth
River and connect to VA 164 in the City
of Portsmouth (CBA–2). Finally,
consideration will be given to
alternatives based on public and agency
feedback during the scoping process.
The SEIS will document the alternatives
previously eliminated from
consideration as well as consider
options for tolling.
3. Scoping and Public Review
Process—Throughout the development
of the Hampton Roads Crossing Study
PO 00000
Frm 00107
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
EIS, a variety of scoping and public
involvement opportunities were
provided to notify the public about the
project, provide information and
updates, and solicit feedback. These
opportunities included but were not
limited to a series of public hearings in
the corridor when the Hampton Roads
Crossing Study DEIS was issued in
1999. To ensure that a full range of
issues related to the project are
addressed and all significant issues
identified, VDOT will host two Citizen
Information/Scoping Meetings in July.
Those meetings are scheduled for
Tuesday, July 21st at the Academy for
Discovery at Lakewood School in
Norfolk and Wednesday, July 22nd at
St. Mary’s Star of the Sea School in
Hampton. VDOT will provide additional
information for the meetings and notify
the public of any changes, including
inclement weather dates, through a
variety of means including newspaper
notices and a project Web site. A
separate meeting for the resource,
regulatory, and participating agencies is
also scheduled for July 21st, and notices
will be sent directly to those agencies.
Notification of the availability of the
Draft SEIS for public and agency review
will be made in the Federal Register
and using other methods to be jointly
determined by FHWA and VDOT. Those
methods will identify where interested
parties can go to review a copy of the
Draft SEIS. For the Draft SEIS, public
meetings will be held and a minimum
45-day comment period will be
provided. The public meetings will be
conducted by VDOT and announced a
minimum of 30 days in advance of the
meetings. At the appropriate time,
VDOT will provide information for the
public meetings, including date, time
and location through a variety of means
including newspaper notice and the
project Web site.
4. Issues—Based on coordination
between FHWA and VDOT, the issues to
be analyzed in the SEIS will include,
but are not limited to, purpose and
need, alternatives and environmental
effects including effects to wetlands and
streams, cultural resources, threatened
and endangered species, and
environmental justice communities.
5. Additional Review and
Consultation—The SEIS will comply
with other Federal and State
requirements including the State water
quality certification under Section 401
of the Clean Water Act; protection of
water quality under the Virginia/
National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System; protection of
endangered and threatened species
under Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act; and protection of cultural
E:\FR\FM\23JNN1.SGM
23JNN1
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 120 / Tuesday, June 23, 2015 / Notices
resources under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act.
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 23 CFR 771.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Number 20.205, Highway Planning
and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372
regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this
program.)
Issued by:
Dated: June 17, 2015.
Edward Sundra,
Director of Program Development, Federal
Highway Administration, Richmond,
Virginia.
[FR Doc. 2015–15419 Filed 6–22–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA–2015–0013]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Notice of Request for
Approval of a New Information
Collection
Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Request for Approval
of a New Information Collection.
AGENCY:
The FHWA invites public
comments about our intention to request
the Office of Management and Budget’s
(OMB) approval of a new information
collection that is summarized below.
DATES: Please submit comments by
August 24, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket ID Number
2015–0013 by any of the following
methods:
Web site: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility,
U.S. Department of Transportation,
West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S.
Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Nesbitt (michael.nesbitt@
dot.gov), 202–366–1179, Office of
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SUMMARY:
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18:39 Jun 22, 2015
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Infrastructure, Federal Highway
Administration, Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: National Transportation
Performance Management (TPM)
Implementation Review, TPM Toolbox,
and TPM State-of-Practice
Questionnaires.
Type of request: New information
collection requirement.
Background: Moving Ahead for
Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP–
21) transformed the Federal-aid
highway program by establishing new
requirements for transportation
performance management to ensure the
most efficient investment of Federal
transportation funds. Transportation
performance management increases the
accountability and transparency of the
Federal-aid highway program and
provides for a framework to support
improved investment decision making
through a focus on performance
outcomes for key national transportation
goals. State transportation agencies
(STAs) will be expected to use the
information and data generated as a
result of the new regulations to make
better informed transportation planning
and programming decisions. The new
performance aspects of the Federal-aid
program will allow FHWA to better
communicate a national performance
story and to more reliably assess the
impacts of Federal funding investments.
Overview: Under the ‘‘National
Transportation Performance
Management (TPM) Implementation
Review, TPM State-of-Practice
Questionnaires, and TPM Toolbox ’’
information collection request, the
FHWA will collect information on the
current state of the practice, data,
methods, and systems used by state,
metropolitan, regional, local, and/or
tribal transportation entities to support
their TPM processes in accordance with
MAP–21 §§ 1106, 1112–1113, 1201–
1203; 23 U.S.C. 119, 134–135, and 148–
150. This information will also be used
to develop and deliver existing and
future Federal Highway Programs
through successful partnerships, valueadded stewardship, and risk-based
oversight. Underpinning this effort will
be a robust focus on improving FHWA
and its partners’ capacity to implement
performance provisions. The
information collected from these
activities will translate into having a
better skilled workforce, effective
supporting systems, and clearly
PO 00000
Frm 00108
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
36039
articulated programs that are optimally
positioned and equipped to deliver the
FHWA’s mission. In general, the
components of the ‘‘National TPM
Implementation Review, TPM State-ofPractice Questionnaires, and TPM
Toolbox’’ will involve questions related
to:
1. TPM and MAP–21 related
implementation efforts, programs, and
activities,
2. Needs for guidance and policy
concerning MAP–21’s TPM related
provisions;
3. TPM capacity building needs;
4. Effectiveness implementing
performance based planning and
programming and TPM processes.
The most consequential activity
covered by the ICR is the ‘‘National
TPM Implementation Review,’’ which
will be conducted twice. The first
National TPM Implementation Review
is scheduled to be administered in the
spring of 2016 and will establish a
baseline to assess:
1. FHWA and its partners progress
implementing MAP–21 performance
provisions and related TPM best
practices; and
2. The effectiveness of performancebased planning and programming
processes and transportation
performance management.
The second National TPM
Implementation Review will be
conducted several years later and will
be used to assess FHWA and its
partners’ progress addressing any gaps
or issues identified during the first
review.
The findings from the first review will
be used in a pair of statutory reports to
Congress due in 2017 on the
effectiveness of performance-based
planning and programming processes
and transportation performance
management (23 U.S.C. 119, 134(l)(2)–
135(h)(2)). The findings from the second
review will be used in a subsequent
follow-up report. It is important to note
that this is not a compliance review. The
overall focus of the National TPM
Implementation Review is on the TPM
and performance-based planning
processes used by STAs and
Metropolitan Planning Organizations
(MPOs), not the outcomes of those
processes. Due to the sensitivity of the
collected information, FHWA will only
report aggregated information to the
general public and in its report to
Congress. However, information from
individual reviews will be made readily
available to the respective respondent
(i.e., STA, MPOs, etc), FHWA staff for
internal uses, and a limited number of
FHWA partners and associations who
sign nondisclosure agreements.
E:\FR\FM\23JNN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36038-36039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15419]
[[Page 36038]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, City of Newport News
and City of Hampton to the City of Norfolk, City of Portsmouth, City of
Suffolk, and City of Chesapeake, Virginia
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in cooperation with
the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the
Hampton Roads Crossing Study Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS). The purpose of the SEIS is to evaluate new information
regarding environmental impacts and the alternatives described in the
March 2001 FEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward Sundra, Director of Program
Development, Federal Highway Administration, 400 North 8th Street,
Suite 750, Richmond, VA 23219; email: Ed.Sundra@dot.gov; (804) 775-
3357.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Description of the Proposed Action and Background--In 1991, the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act allocated
demonstration funds for a number of innovative projects which included
the I-64 crossing of Hampton Roads. A Major Investment Study of the
crossing was completed in 1997, and the Hampton Roads Crossing Study
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in March 1999.
The FEIS for the study was issued in March 2001, identifying Candidate
Build Alternative (CBA) 9 as the preferred alternative. FHWA selected
CBA 9 in a Record of Decision that was issued in June 2001. In 2003,
FHWA completed a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) re-evaluation
after VDOT received unsolicited proposals from the private sector to
build the project. Efforts to advance the private sector proposals were
eventually terminated, but portions of CBA 9, collectively known as
Patriots Crossing, were re-evaluated in 2013 because there was support
to move forward on that section. At the time, no federal action was
taken in response to the re-evaluation because there was no funding to
construct the project in the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning
Organization's fiscally constrained long range transportation plan.
FHWA and VDOT also studied separate improvements to the Hampton Roads
Bridge Tunnel in a DEIS that was issued in December 2012. A preferred
alternative was not selected following the circulation of the DEIS, and
the study has not advanced. With a separate notice, the Notice of
Intent to prepare an EIS for the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel will be
cancelled. Regardless, this SEIS will review information from the
Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel DEIS, Hampton Roads Crossing Study FEIS/
ROD, and the NEPA re-evaluations referenced above and incorporate
relevant information into the SEIS; revisit the purpose and need;
update the alternatives and impacts analyses; and assess impacts not
previously evaluated in these NEPA documents.
2. Alternatives--Alternatives to be considered for the proposed
project will include but not be limited to the No-Build Alternative and
the selected alternative from the 2001 FEIS/ROD (CBA-9). The selected
alternative, as described in the FEIS/ROD, would begin on the Peninsula
at the I-664/I-64 interchange in the City of Hampton and would widen I-
664 to the I-64/I-264 interchange in the City of Chesapeake. An
interchange with I-664 near the south approach structure of the Monitor
Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel would provide a connection to a new
roadway and bridge tunnel extending from I-664 over to I-564 in the
City of Norfolk. A second interchange on the new facility would provide
a connection to a new roadway running south along the eastern side of
Craney Island, terminating at Virginia Route 164 (Western Freeway) in
the City of Portsmouth. Revisions to the location of the alignment
between Craney Island and Virginia Route 164 will be evaluated because
of new information regarding the land use in the area.
Consideration will also be given to the alternatives from the 1999
DEIS to improve the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (CBA-1) and an
alternative to extend the improvements included in CBA-1 south to I-564
where a new bridge tunnel would cross the Elizabeth River and connect
to VA 164 in the City of Portsmouth (CBA-2). Finally, consideration
will be given to alternatives based on public and agency feedback
during the scoping process. The SEIS will document the alternatives
previously eliminated from consideration as well as consider options
for tolling.
3. Scoping and Public Review Process--Throughout the development of
the Hampton Roads Crossing Study EIS, a variety of scoping and public
involvement opportunities were provided to notify the public about the
project, provide information and updates, and solicit feedback. These
opportunities included but were not limited to a series of public
hearings in the corridor when the Hampton Roads Crossing Study DEIS was
issued in 1999. To ensure that a full range of issues related to the
project are addressed and all significant issues identified, VDOT will
host two Citizen Information/Scoping Meetings in July. Those meetings
are scheduled for Tuesday, July 21st at the Academy for Discovery at
Lakewood School in Norfolk and Wednesday, July 22nd at St. Mary's Star
of the Sea School in Hampton. VDOT will provide additional information
for the meetings and notify the public of any changes, including
inclement weather dates, through a variety of means including newspaper
notices and a project Web site. A separate meeting for the resource,
regulatory, and participating agencies is also scheduled for July 21st,
and notices will be sent directly to those agencies.
Notification of the availability of the Draft SEIS for public and
agency review will be made in the Federal Register and using other
methods to be jointly determined by FHWA and VDOT. Those methods will
identify where interested parties can go to review a copy of the Draft
SEIS. For the Draft SEIS, public meetings will be held and a minimum
45-day comment period will be provided. The public meetings will be
conducted by VDOT and announced a minimum of 30 days in advance of the
meetings. At the appropriate time, VDOT will provide information for
the public meetings, including date, time and location through a
variety of means including newspaper notice and the project Web site.
4. Issues--Based on coordination between FHWA and VDOT, the issues
to be analyzed in the SEIS will include, but are not limited to,
purpose and need, alternatives and environmental effects including
effects to wetlands and streams, cultural resources, threatened and
endangered species, and environmental justice communities.
5. Additional Review and Consultation--The SEIS will comply with
other Federal and State requirements including the State water quality
certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act; protection of
water quality under the Virginia/National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System; protection of endangered and threatened species
under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act; and protection of
cultural
[[Page 36039]]
resources under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 23 CFR 771.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)
Issued by:
Dated: June 17, 2015.
Edward Sundra,
Director of Program Development, Federal Highway Administration,
Richmond, Virginia.
[FR Doc. 2015-15419 Filed 6-22-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
