Environmental Impact Statement; Hawaii, HI

Ricardo Suarez
Federal Highway Administration
March 18, 2014

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 15204]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-05899]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Hawaii, HI

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this revised notice of intent (NOI) to 
inform the public that an environmental impact statement (EIS) will be 
prepared for a proposed highway project in Hawaii County, Hawaii. This 
notice revises the NOI that was published in the Federal Register on 
July 13, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ricardo Suarez, Division Engineer, 
Federal Highway Administration, Central Federal Lands Highway Division. 
Contact Information: 12300 West Dakota Avenue, Lakewood, CO 80228. 
Telephone: (720) 963-3448.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, Central Federal Lands Highway 
Division (CFLHD), and the Hawaii Department of Transportation will 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a surface 
transportation project in the South Kohala and North Kona Districts, of 
the island of Hawaii. The project intends to address the linkage 
between the Queen Kaahumanu Highway (State Highway 19) and the 
Mamalahoa Highway (State Highway 190) in the vicinity of the newly 
realigned Daniel K. Inouye Highway (formerly Saddle Road [State Highway 
200]). This proposed link would constitute the final piece to complete 
one of the three highway arterials that connect the east and west 
regions on the island of Hawaii. This proposed link has been identified 
in the Hawaii Long-Range Plan for the purpose of adding inter-regional 
capacity. This notice updates a notice for the project originally 
published in the July 13, 1999, Federal Register. An EIS was not issued 
pursuant to the prior notice because changed circumstances may affect 
potential project alternatives.
    The purpose of the project is to further develop this inter-
regional capacity and connectivity link by considering various 
alternatives and their impacts, including the no-build scenario, 
through the environmental impact statement process. Secondary and 
supporting purposes to this primary goal are to: (1) Improve the 
efficiency and operational level of traffic movement between East 
Hawaii and West Hawaii in general; and (2) support the unique modal 
needs along this corridor, such as commercial and military 
transportation uses.
    A notice describing the proposed action and soliciting comments 
will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and individuals who have expressed an interest in 
the project. A public hearing will be held after publication of the 
Draft EIS. A public notice will be placed in a daily newspaper to 
announce the date, time and place of the meeting and the availability 
of the Draft EIS for public and agency review and copying.
    To ensure that the full range of issues relating to the proposed 
action are identified and addressed, comments and suggestions are 
invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning 
the proposed action 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 program.)


    Issued on: March 11, 2014.
Ricardo Suarez,
Division Engineer, FHWA-CFLHD.
[FR Doc. 2014-05899 Filed 3-17-14; 8:45 am]
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