Federal Highway Administration June 4, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FHWA is issuing this Notice to advise the public, Tribes, and agencies that it intends to prepare a Second Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SSDEIS) for a proposed highway project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) in Seattle, King County, Washington. This Notice revises a Notice of Intent for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Project, which was published on August 3, 2005 (70 FR 44716). Furthermore, this Notice rescinds the Notice of Intent published on July 16, 2008 (73 FR 40908). The 2008 Notice of Intent anticipated the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement that would evaluate various transportation modes and systems between the south Seattle city limits and N. 85th Street and Elliott Bay and Lake Washington, in addition to replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall. Rather than pursuing this more broad, multi-agency proposal, this Notice re-establishes FHWA's intent to continue the process begun with the publication of a Notice of Intent on June 22, 2001 (66 FR 33602), as revised on September 26, 2003 (68 FR 55712), and again in 2005. That process has resulted in the issuance of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in March 2004, and a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement in July 2006. The planned SSDEIS will build on these earlier documents and the alternatives evaluated therein. However, there are some important changes to the earlier proposal. The major change is that this proposal will now consider one or more alternatives that no longer include the seawall along the Elliott Bay shoreline, known as the Alaskan Way Seawall. The Seawall was the subject of a Notice of Intent issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on March 31, 2006 (71 FR 16293). The SSDEIS will also set forth a revised Purpose and Need for the proposed project, re-evaluate previous Viaduct replacement alternatives in light of the revised Purpose and Need, and introduce and evaluate at least one new build alternativea bored tunnel.