[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 135 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36775-36776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17700]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement; Benton County, AR and McDonald
County, MO
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 Benton County, Arkansas and McDonald County, Missouri.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendall L. Meyer, Environment/Design Specialist, Federal Highway
Administration, 3128 Federal Office Building, Little Rock, Arkansas
72201-3298, Telephone: (501) 324-6430; Don Neumann, District Engineer,
Federal Highway Administration, P.O. Box 1787, 209 Adams Street,
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, Telephone: (573) 636-7104; Reid Beckel,
Consultant Coordinator, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation
Department, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-2261, Telephone:
(501) 569-2163; or Richard Walter, District Engineer, Missouri Highway
and Transportation Department, 3901 East 32nd Street, P.O. Box 1445,
Joplin, Missouri, 64802, Telephone: (417) 629-3300.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Arkansas
State Highway and Transportation Department and the Missouri Highway
and Transportation Department, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) for a proposed improvement to U.S. 71 in Benton County,
Arkansas and McDonald County, Missouri. The proposed improvement may
involve the reconstruction or relocation on new alignment of U.S. 71
from Bella Vista, Arkansas to Pineville, Missouri, a total distance of
approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles). Information contained in the
Final EIS for U.S. 71 improvements beginning at I-44 in Jasper County,
Missouri and passing through Newton and McDonald Counties to existing
U.S. 71 at the Missouri/Arkansas state line, approved by the FHWA on
August 3, 1992, will be utilized for this EIS.
Improvements to the corridor include improving U.S. 71 to a four-
lane, fully controlled access facility with Interstate standards to
meet anticipated traffic demands and to improve roadway safety.
Alternatives under consideration include relocation of U.S. 71 on new
alignment, improving the existing facility and the no-action
alternative.
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. This proposed improvement will draw new traffic through
northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri 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.
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 form all interested parties. Comments or
questions concerning this proposed action and EIS should be directed to
any of the individuals at the appropriate address provided above. A
formal scoping meeting is scheduled for July 30, 1996 at Bella Vista,
Arkansas. Invitation letters providing details of the scoping meeting
and describing the proposed action will be sent to appropriate Federal,
State and local agencies. Several public meetings, including a public
hearing, will be held during the preparation of the EIS. Public notice
will be given of the time and place of the meetings and hearings. The
Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment
prior to the public hearing.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing
Executive Order 12372
[[Page 36776]]
regarding intergovernmental consultation of Federal programs and
activities apply to this program.)
Issued on: July 3, 1996.
Wendall L. Meyer,
Environment/Design Specialist, FHWA, Little Rock, Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 96-17700 Filed 7-11-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M
