Federal Highway Administration July 9, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that 8 States have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOIs) to prepare 14 Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for proposed highway projects. The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State departments of transportation (State DOTs), determined that six projects were no longer viable and have formally cancelled the projects. No further Federal resources will be expended on these projects; the environmental review process has been terminated. Four projects have been reduced in scope or found not to have significant impacts and now meet the criteria for an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a Categorical Exclusion (CE). Two projects will be constructed using solely State funds, so EISs will not be required. One project will be divided into two future projects and NOIs will be issued as needed. Finally, one project is being significantly rescoped and required a new NOI, which has already been issued.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) has requested FHWA approval of MDTA's proposed plan to temporarily close a portion of I-395 (just south of Conway Street in Baltimore City) from approximately 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 29, 2012, until approximately 6 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. The closure is requested to accommodate the construction and operation of the Baltimore Grand Prix (BGP), which will use the streets of downtown Baltimore as a race course. The request is based on the provisions in 23 CFR 658.11 which authorizes the deletion of segments of the federally designated routes that make up the National Network designated in Appendix A of 23 CFR Part 658 upon approval by the FHWA. The FHWA seeks comments from the general public on this request submitted by the MDTA for a deletion in accordance with section 658.11(d) for the considerations discussed in this notice.