Environmental Impact Statement; Santa Rosa County, FL

Martin Knopp
Federal Highway Administration
August 31, 2010

[Federal Register: August 31, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 168)]
[Notices]               
[Page 53371]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31au10-130]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

 
Environmental Impact Statement; Santa Rosa County, FL

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed 
highway project in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cathy Kendall, AICP, Environmental 
Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, 545 John Knox Road, Suite 
200, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, Telephone: (850) 942-9650.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Florida 
Department of Transportation will prepare an EIS for a proposal to 
improve SR 87 in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The proposed improvement 
would involve the construction of a new roadway connecting SR 87S to SR 
87N. The new roadway would vary between five to eleven miles in length. 
The improvement is considered necessary to provide connectivity for the 
existing and projected traffic demand, and to provide a more direct 
corridor for emergency evacuations from the Gulf Coast.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1) taking no action; (2) 
alternative corridors that would provide for a four-lane rural highway 
with plans to build two-lanes initially to be widened to a four-lane 
divided rural facility as needed in the future.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have expressed interest in this 
proposal. A series of public meetings will be held between February, 
2010 and June, 2013. In addition, a public hearing will be held. Public 
notice will be given of the time and place of the meetings and hearing. 
The Draft EIS will be made available for public and agency review and 
comment. An informal scoping meeting was held at the project site on 
July 29th, 2010. There are no plans to hold a formal scoping meeting. 
Scoping will be accomplished by use of the Florida Efficient 
Transportation Decision Making Process and a series of meetings for 
agencies and the public.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to the 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 Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding inter-governmental 
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program.)

    Issued on: August 25, 2010.
Martin Knopp,
Division Administrator, FHWA, Federal Administrator, Tallahassee, 
Florida.
[FR Doc. 2010-21740 Filed 8-30-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P