Environmental Impact Statement; Hays County, Texas

Michael T. Leary
Federal Highway Administration
18 July 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33972-33973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15301]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Hays County, Texas

AGENCY: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Federal Highway 
Administration (FHWA), Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Federal notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: FHWA, on behalf of TxDOT, is issuing this notice to advise the 
public that an EIS will be prepared for a proposed transportation 
project to construct a new location four lane roadway in and near the 
City of Kyle in Hays County. The roadway would start west of Kyle and 
run east to Interstate 35 (I-35), and may follow portions of existing 
Ranch-to-Market (RM) 150, from west of Arroyo Ranch Road, running east 
to I-35.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carlos Swonke, Division Director, 
TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division, 125 East 11th Street, Austin, 
Texas 78701; Phone (512) 416-2734; email: carlos.swonke@txdot.gov. 
TxDOT's normal business hours are 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (central time), 
Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review, consultation, and 
other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for 
this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 
23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 
2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.
    TxDOT will prepare an EIS for the proposed construction of a new 
location four lane roadway in and near the City of Kyle in Hays County. 
The roadway would start west of Kyle and run east to I-35, and may 
follow portions of existing RM 150, from west of Arroyo Ranch Road, 
running east to I-35. The proposed project is included in the Capital 
Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) 2040 Metropolitan 
Transportation Plan, 2015, as a new location four-lane roadway that may 
follow portions of the existing RM 150 roadway. The proposed project is 
approximately 6 miles long.
    Proposed improvements to Ranch to Market (RM) 150 are needed 
because the existing two-lane facility is inadequate to handle existing 
and future traffic volumes between I-35 and RM 150 west of Kyle, 
resulting in congestion and safety concerns. In addition, the overall 
transportation network does not provide sufficient linkage to I-35 to 
handle existing and future traffic volumes in this growing area of Hays 
County. The current two-lane facility does not meet current design 
standards, does not meet the Level of Service to meet increasing travel 
demand and does not provide a safe and adequate crossing of the Union 
Pacific Railroad. In addition, regional population growth continues to 
increase demand for additional capacity and access in this corridor and 
the region. The purpose of the proposed project is to relieve 
congestion and improve safety along the existing RM 150 corridor 
between RM 150 west of Kyle and I-35.
    The EIS will develop and evaluate alternatives intended to satisfy 
the identified purpose and need. The alternatives will include a range 
of build alternatives and a no-build alternative within the study 
corridor, which is generally bounded to the north by RM 150 south of 
Indian Hills Trail, to the east by the existing RM 150 east of Arroyo 
Ranch Road and through the city of Kyle to I-35, to the south by the 
intersection of Yarrington Rd. and I-35, and to the west by the Blanco 
River.
    The roadway build alternatives may include limited access and non-
limited access (arterial) design. The EIS will evaluate potential 
impacts from construction and operation of the proposed project, 
including, but not limited to, the following: Transportation impacts, 
air quality and noise impacts; water quality impacts including storm 
water runoff, water recharge zone impacts; impacts to waters of the 
United States, including wetlands; impacts to floodplains; impacts to 
historic and archeological resources; socio-economic impacts including 
environmental justice and limited English proficiency populations; 
impacts to land use, vegetation and wildlife, including threatened and 
endangered species and habitat impacts; impacts to or potential 
displacement of residents and businesses; and impacts to aesthetic and 
visual resources. TxDOT will issue a single Final EIS and Record of 
Decision document pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 139(n)(2), unless TxDOT 
determines statutory criteria or practicability considerations preclude 
issuance of the combined document.
    Anticipated state and federal permits, pending selection of 
alternatives and field surveys, may include, but are not limited to, 
the following: United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 
404 permit, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Section 
401 Water Quality Certification; TCEQ Texas Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System (TPDES) permit, Advisory Council for Historic 
Preservation (ACHP) Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act) 
approval, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service Section 7 
(Endangered Species Act) permits and approval.
    Public involvement is a critical component of the project 
development process and will continue throughout the development of the 
EIS. A draft project coordination plan has been developed in accordance 
with 23 U.S.C.

[[Page 33973]]

139, Efficient Environmental Reviews for Project Decision Making, to 
identify and document opportunities for project involvement by the 
public and other agencies.
    The project coordination plan will promote involvement from 
stakeholders, agencies and the public as well as describe the proposed 
project, the roles of the agencies and the public, the proposed project 
purpose and need, schedule, level of detail for alternatives analysis, 
and the proposed process for coordination and communication. The plan 
will be available for public review, input, and comments at public 
meetings, including scoping meetings held in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and upon request at the TxDOT 
Austin District Office.
    In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139, cooperating agencies, 
participating agencies and the public will be given an opportunity for 
continued input on the proposed project. A public scoping meeting is 
planned for the summer of 2018. An agency scoping meeting will also be 
held with participating and cooperating agencies. The purpose of the 
agency and public scoping meetings is to present the project studies 
completed to date and identify significant and other relevant issues 
related to the proposed RM 150 corridor as part of the NEPA process. 
The scoping meetings will provide an opportunity for participating 
agencies, cooperating agencies, and the public to review and comment on 
the draft project coordination plan and schedule, the proposed project 
purpose and need, the range of alternatives developed to date to be 
considered and evaluated in the EIS, and methodologies and level of 
detail for analyzing alternatives.
    In addition to the agency and public scoping meetings, a public 
hearing will be held. Public notice will be given of the time and place 
of the meetings and hearing. To ensure that the full range of issues 
related to the proposed project is addressed and all significant issues 
are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all 
interested parties. Such comments or questions concerning this proposed 
action should be directed to TxDOT at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction.)


    Issued on: July 10, 2018.
Michael T. Leary,
Director, Planning and Program Development, Federal Highway 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-15301 Filed 7-17-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P