[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 10 (Friday, January 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-983]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: January 14, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Environmental Impact Statement; Miller County, AR
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an
environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed highway
project in Miller County, Arkansas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendall L. Meyer, Environmental and Design Specialist, Federal Highway
Administration, 3128 Federal Office Building, Little Rock, Arkansas
72201-3298, telephone: (501) 324-6430; or Reid Beckel, Consultant
Coordinator, Chief Engineer, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation
Department, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203, Telephone:
(501) 569-2163.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Arkansas
State Highway and Transportation Department and Louisiana Department of
Transportation, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on
a proposal to construct a four-lane, divided, fully controlled access
highway facility located on new alignment. The proposed project along
U.S. 71, from Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas south to the Louisiana State
Line, includes several alternatives based on new location corridors and
varying termini. The approximate length of the project is 53.1
kilometers (33.0 miles).
The proposed improvements would improve the capacity of the
existing route and increase regional mobility along a proposed ultimate
route extending from Kansas City, Missouri to Shreveport, Louisiana.
This project is one of several projects identified as ``high priority
corridors'' on the National Highway System that would provide a
transportation corridor of national significance from Kansas City to
Shreveport. The proposed improvements will draw new traffic through
southwest Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, and northeast Texas and serve
as both a short-term and long-term economic stimulus, promoting
development in this currently rural area. Major metropolitan areas
lying along this ``high priority corridor'' include Kansas City,
Kansas-Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fort Smith,
Arkansas; Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas; and Shreveport, Louisiana.
The northern terminus of the proposed improvements will connect to
the proposed Loop 151/245 in Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas. Loop 151/245 is
currently being designed and/or constructed around the south side of
Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas. The southern terminus will be at the
Louisiana state line, and its location determined based on existing and
new location U.S. 71 corridors.
Alternatives to be considered are:
(1) The ``Do-Nothing'' Alternative, where roads are constructed
according to the regional plan with the exception of the proposed
facility;
(2) The ``Reconstruction'' Alternative, where existing U.S. 71 and
roads on the regional plan are upgraded to handle traffic forecast for
the proposed facility, but with less than full control of access; and
(3) The ``New Location'' Alternative, considering several different
alignments and full control of access.
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will
be sent to appropriate Federal, state, and local agencies and to
private organizations, including conservation groups and groups of
individuals who have expressed interest in the project in the past, and
to major Arkansas, Louisiana and northeast Texas newspapers. A series
of public involvement sessions will be held in the areas to be
affected. In addition, a formal public hearing will be held. Public
notice will be given of the time and place of the public involvement
sessions and the public hearing. The draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) will be available for public and agency review and
comment prior to the public hearing. An agency scoping meeting was held
on December 7, 1993 at the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation
Department offices in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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 the FHWA at the address provided above.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation of
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)
Issued on: January 3, 1994.
Wendall L. Meyer,
Environmental and Design Specialist, FHWA, Little Rock, Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 94-983 Filed 1-13-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M
