Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Relocation of a Portion of the Miller Highway Between West 59th Street and West 72nd Street in New York City

Charles E. Bosner
Federal Highway Administration
April 8, 1994

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8330]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 8, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Relocation of a Portion of the Miller Highway Between West 59th Street 
and West 72nd Street in New York City

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA, as lead federal agency, in cooperation with the New 
York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York State 
Urban Development Corporation (UDC), as co-lead agencies, intends to 
prepare and circulate an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a 
project that would provide for the relocation of a portion of the 
Miller Highway between West 59th Street and West 72nd Street on the 
west side of Manhattan, New York City. For preparation and development 
of the tasks associated with the environmental studies, the ``Project 
Area,'' is defined as the sites and the immediate adjacent area where 
actual construction of the project components would occur. The ``Study 
Area,'' including both a primary study area in which detailed 
investigations will be completed and a secondary study area in which 
more generalized assessments will be completed, encompasses the 
geographic area from the Hudson River on the west, to Central Park West 
on the east, and from West 42nd Street on the south to West 96th Street 
on the north.
    The EIS scoping process will consist of a public scoping meeting to 
provide the general public an opportunity to comment and an interagency 
scoping meeting to obtain comments from federal, state, and local 
agencies. The public and interagency scoping meetings will be held in 
the vicinity of the project area at dates, times and places to be 
announced. In addition, involved and interested agencies and persons 
will be provided an opportunity to submit written comments representing 
concerns and issues they believe should be addressed in the EIS.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Information, data, opinions and comments 
obtained through the scoping process will be considered in preparing 
the EIS. The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform the public 
and local, state and federal government agencies that an EIS will be 
prepared and to provide those interested with the opportunity to 
present their opinions, comments, information or other relevant 
observations concerning the environmental impacts related to the 
implementation of this proposal.
    A copy of a draft ``EIS Scoping Document,'' describing the purpose 
and need for the proposed action, the alternatives under consideration, 
and the methods and criteria to be applied in completing the EIS will 
be made available prior to the public and interagency scoping meetings. 
This document will be finalized based on the information, opinions, 
comments and other data received during the scoping process, and will 
form the basis for further studies.
    Goals for the Relocated Miller Highway Project were developed as 
part of a comprehensive planning study conducted by UDC, in 
consultation with, among others, NYSDOT, the New York Metropolitan 
Transportation Council, the New York City Department of Transportation, 
and New York City Department of City Planning. The goals of the 
projects identified in that study are to:
     Maintain and improve the park environment on the West Side 
of Manhattan;
     Maintain or enhance safe and efficient transportation 
along the West Side Highway corridor in the study area;
     Achieve physical compatibility between the highway and 
surrounding existing and proposed development;
     Minimize adverse social, economic and/or environmental 
consequences to the surrounding community.
    The project is a transportation improvement project of substantial 
cost which will create significant urban design, recreational and 
economic development opportunities. However, it is not expected to have 
a substantial effect on capacity, traffic flow, level of service, or 
mode share at the corridor or subarea scale, since it will merely 
replace the existing section of the Miller Highway. It will include no 
additional capacity or new egress/access points to the arterial roadway 
system within Manhattan.
    Major actions to be addressed in the EIS will include, but may not 
be limited to, a No Build alternative, two highway build alternatives 
with alignments parallel to the existing roadway, a transit alternative 
and a transportation systems management (TSM) alternative.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, QUESTIONS AND/OR COMMENTS CONTACT: Mr. Harold 
J. Brown, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, New 
York Division, Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building, room 911, Clinton 
Avenue & North Pearl Street, Albany, New York 12207; Mr. Ben Zodikoff, 
New York State Urban Development Corporation, 1515 Broadway, New York, 
New York 10036; or Mr. Philip J. Clark, New York State Department of 
Transportation, State Campus Building 5-405, Albany, New York 12232.
Charles E. Bosner,
District Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Albany, New York.
[FR Doc. 94-8330 Filed 4-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M