[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 145 (Thursday, July 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41181-41182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19338]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement: Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln,
Bradley, and Drew Counties, Arkansas
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 the Arkansas Counties of Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln,
Bradley, and Drew.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Romero, Environmental
Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, 3128 Federal Office
Building, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-3298, telephone: (501) 324-5625;
or Dale Loe, Consultant Coordinator, Assistant Chief Engineer for
Design, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, P.O. Box
2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203, telephone: (501) 569-2301.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Arkansas
State Highway and Transportation Department, 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. Several alternatives and locations will be considered,
including the ``no-action'' alternative in which roads are constructed
in accordance with the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan, with
the exception of the proposed facility. The approximate length of the
project is 50 miles.
The proposed transportation facility, also known as the ``Southeast
Arkansas I-69 Connector'', would improve regional travel, safety,
intermodal connectivity, and economic development by providing a north-
south interstate-quality highway connecting Interstates 30 and 40 in
Little Rock, Arkansas via U.S. 65 (Future Interstate Route I-530), to
the proposed I-69 near the Monticello and Warren, Arkansas vicinity.
The I-69 corridor is identified as a ``high priority corridor'' on the
National Highway System that would provide a NAFTA transportation
corridor of national significance from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada through
Port Huron, Michigan and Indianapolis, Indiana to Memphis, Tennessee
and would continue southward to Houston, Texas and end at the border
with Mexico.
[[Page 41182]]
The northern terminus of the project will connect to the U.S. 65
(Future I-530) Bypass near Pine Bluff, Arkansas and the southern
terminus will have an interim connection to U.S. 278 in the Monticello
and Warren, Arkansas vicinity. The proposed connector was identified in
Section 1211(h) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA-21), as amended.
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 or are
known to have an interest in this project. A series of public meetings
will be held within the study area beginning in the fall of 1999, with
on-going public involvement activities. The draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) will be available for public and agency review and
comment prior to a formal public hearing. Public notice will be given
of the time and place for all meetings and hearings.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this project 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 on
Federal programs and activities apply to this proposed action.)
Issued on: July 20, 1999.
Elizabeth Romero,
Environmental Specialist, FHWA, Little Rock, Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 99-19338 Filed 7-28-99 8:45 am]
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