Federal Highway Administration August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA has approved a request from Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) 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, until approximately 6 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4. 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 approval is granted in accordance with the provisions of 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. The FHWA published a Notice and Request for Comment on July 9, 2012, seeking comments from the general public on this request submitted by the MDTA for a deletion in accordance with 23 CFR 658.11(d). No public comments were received.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that, effective immediately, the Notice of Intent (NOI) (Federal Register Vol. 72, No. 214; FR Doc. 07-5518) to prepare an EIS for the proposed Sheep Mountain Parkway Transportation Project, which includes highway, transit, and non-motorized trail components in Clark County, Nevada is being withdrawn. The NOI for the EIS was announced on November 6, 2007.

This notice announces that the FHWA and the State of Alaska, acting by and through its Department of Transportation (State), propose to renew and amend a MOU between the parties dated September 22, 2009, pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 326. The MOU would extend the duration of the agreement by three years, continuing the assignment to the State of the FHWA's authority and responsibility for determining whether certain designated activities within the geographic boundaries of the State, as specified in the proposed MOU, are categorically excluded from preparation of an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (NEPA). Aside from editorial changes to the MOU, the following minor changes would also be incorporated: (1) The State would be required to submit a list of CE determinations semi-annually as opposed to quarterly, including Section 4(f) decisions; (2) the Federal Register notice of availability period would be modified from 45 days to 30 days, where applicable; (3) language would be included clarifying that the presence of unusual circumstances and significant environmental impacts must be considered in CE findings; (4) inclusion of language to clarify that the State coordinate with the Department of Justice and FHWA in the event of litigation, (5) at least a 12-month period between FHWA program reviews would be included in order to give the State adequate time to implement corrective action plans; (6) future changes to 23 CFR 771.117(c) and (d) resulting from rulemaking would be automatically incorporated into the MOU; (7) the termination provisions of the MOU would be changed to comply with the provisions of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21).

FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

The purpose of this NOI is to update the notice issued in the Federal Register, Vol. 71, No. 112, Monday, June 12, 2006, Notices. The FHWA and WisDOT are updating this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is continuing to be prepared for proposed transportation improvements on the United States Highway (US) 51 corridor in the Madison Urban Area, Dane County, Wisconsin. The general location is between U.S. 12/18 (Madison South Beltline Highway) and Wisconsin State Highway (WIS) 19. The EIS is being prepared in conformance with 40 CFR 1500 and FHWA regulations. The NOI is being updated to reflect the current status of the environmental study, changes in contact information, and significant coordination efforts etc that have been completed since the revised NOI was issued in June 2006. The project was placed on ``Hold'' by the WisDOT in the Summer of 2010 because it was determined the type and cost of the improvements being considered met the revised definition of a WisDOT ``Major Project'' requiring approval by the Wisconsin Legislature's Transportation Projects Commission (TPC). In November 2011, the TPC approved the EIS study for the project as part of WisDOT's Majors Program, and efforts to continue with the EIS study were initiated in April 2012. The Project limits, Purpose & Need, and Range of Alternatives being evaluated have not changed