[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 191 (Friday, October 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53120-53121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-26480]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement: Travis and Caldwell Counties,
Texas
agency: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
action: Notice of intent.
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[[Page 53121]]
summary: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an
Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed new
location highway/tollway project in Travis and Caldwell Counties,
Texas.
for further information contact: Walter C. Waidelich, District
Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Room 850, Federal Building,
300 East 8th Street, Austin Texas 78701. David Kopp, P.E., Texas
Turnpike Authority Division, Texas Department of Transportation, 125 E.
11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483.
supplementary information: State Highway 130, as currently envisioned,
is a proposed controlled access highway which will extend from IH 35 at
State Highway 195 north of Georgetown in Williamson County, Texas, to
IH 10 near Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas. State Highway 130 will be
located generally parallel to and east of Interstate Highway 35 and the
urban areas of Austin, San Marcos, and New Braunfels. The total length
of the proposed facility is 143.5 kilometers (89 miles). The proposed
State Highway 130 facility is being developed by the FHWA in
cooperation with the Texas Turnpike Authority Division (TTA) of the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It is being developed in
three segments with each segment having logical termini and independent
utility. FHWA and TTA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
for each of the three independent segments.
This Notice of Intent (NOI) focuses on the central segment, Segment
B, of State Highway 130. As announced herein, the FHWA in cooperation
with TTA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on a proposal
to construct Segment B of State Highway 130. Segment B of proposed
State Highway 130 extends from US Highway 290 east of Austin in Travis
County, Texas, to the junction of US Highway 183 and Farm-to-Market
Road 1185 north of Lockhart in Caldwell County, Texas. The length of
Segment B is approximately 46.67 kilometers (29 miles) but will varies
depending on the selected alternative. The proposed action is intended
to relieve congestion on Interstate 35 by providing an alternative
route for those who commute between Austin and surrounding areas as
well as drivers desiring to bypass the central business area of Austin
and other cities along the heavily traveled Interstate 35 corridor. The
proposed action will also provide improved access and increased
mobility to urbanized areas in the proposed corridor; help support
planned business and residential growth in various areas throughout the
project corridor; and provide needed freeway access from surrounding
areas to the proposed Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
A Major Investment Study, addressing the entire length of the
proposed State Highway 130, was adopted in July 1997 by the Austin
Transportation Study Policy Advisory Committee, the metropolitan
planning organization for the Austin, Texas area.
As currently envisioned the proposed Segment B facility will be a
controlled access toll road; thus, in conjunction with the EIS and
selection of a preferred alternative, the TTA will conduct a toll
feasibility study to evaluate the viability of developing the selected
alternative as a toll road and financing it, in whole or part, through
the issuance of revenue bonds. The toll road designation will not
influence the selection of a preferred alternative. Proposed
alternatives, including alternative alignments, will be evaluated for
how well they meet the stated purpose and need for the proposed
project. Any impacts owing to the toll road designation will be
discussed in the environmental impact statement.
The draft EIS for Segment B will address a build alternative
including multiple alternative alignments. Alternatives to the proposed
action, which will also be discussed in the EIS, will include (1)
taking no action, or the ``no build'' alternative, and (2) improving
existing roadways in the project area. The build alternatives include
multiple alternative alignments along new location and existing highway
rights-of-way within the Segment B project limits.
Impacts caused by the construction and operation of Segment B of
State Highway 130 will vary according to the alternative alignment
utilized. Generally, impacts would include the following:
transportation impacts (construction detours, construction traffic, and
mobility improvement); air and noise impacts from construction and
operation of the roadway; water quality impacts from construction
activities and roadway stormwater runoff; impacts to waters of the
United States, including wetlands, from right-of-way encroachment;
conversion of dedicated parkland; and impacts to residences and
businesses.
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have
been sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed
interest in the proposal. Public meetings for the Segment B project
were held on April 15, 1996, at Del Valle High School in Del Valle,
Texas; on April 16, 1996, at Barbara Jordan Elementary School in
Austin, Texas; on June 11, 1996, at Plum Creek Elementary School in
Lockhart, Texas; and on June 26, 1997, at Barbara Jordan Elementary
School in Austin, Texas. At these meetings, public comments on the
proposed action and alternatives were requested.
In continuation of the scoping process for Segment B of State
Highway 130, an additional public meeting will be held on November 5,
1998. The location of the public meeting will be at Barbara Jordan
Elementary School, 6711 Johnny Morris Road, Austin, Texas. From 6:00 to
7:00 pm, displays showing the preliminary alternative corridors will be
available for review. During this period, staff of the TTA will be
available to answer questions. Beginning at 7:00 pm a formal
presentation of the project will be made and will be followed by a
public comment period. All interested persons are encouraged to attend
the public meeting.
A public hearing will be held for the Segment B project subsequent
to publication of the Draft EIS. Public notice will be given of the
time and place of the hearing. The Draft EIS will be available for
public and agency review and comment prior to the public hearing.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to proposed
Segement B of State Highway 130 are addressed and all significant
issues identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all
parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the
EIS should be directed to the FHWA or TTA at the addresses provided
above.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this
program.)
Walter C. Waidelich,
District Engineer, Austin, Texas.
[FR Doc. 98-26480 Filed 10-1-98; 8:45 am]
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