Environmental Impact Statement: San Diego and Orange Counties, California; Notice of Intent

Tashia Clemons
Federal Highway Administration
7 November 2019

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 216 (Thursday, November 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60141-60142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24326]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: San Diego and Orange Counties, 
California; Notice of Intent

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on behalf of the 
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(Draft EIS) will be prepared for the South County Traffic Relief 
Effort, a proposed highway project in Orange County and San Diego 
County, California.

DATES: Formal scoping will occur from November 8, 2019 through December 
9, 2019. The deadline for comments is 5:00 p.m. on December 9, 2019. 
Two public scoping meetings will be held on Wednesday, November 20, 
2019, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 
from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The Wednesday, November 20, 2019 public scoping meeting will 
be held at Norman P. Murray Community Center, 24932 Veterans Way, 
Mission Viejo, CA 92692. The Wednesday, December 4, 2019 public scoping 
meeting will be held at the Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor 
Drive, Dana Point, CA 92629.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Caltrans District 12, 1750 East 4th 
Street, Santa Ana, CA 92705, Attn: Env/SCTRE Scoping. Formal scoping 
comments can also be submitted via email at scoping@SCTRE.org. More 
information can also be found at the project website at http://www.SCTRE.org.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective July 1, 2007, the FHWA assigned, 
and Caltrans assumed, environmental responsibilities for this project 
pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327. Caltrans as the assigned National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) agency, in cooperation with the 
Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA), will prepare

[[Page 60142]]

a Draft EIS on a proposal for a highway improvement project in Orange 
County and San Diego County, California. The proposed improvements 
intended to address north-south regional mobility and accommodation of 
travel demand include the extension of the tolled State Route (SR) 241 
lanes to Interstate (I) 5, the extension of Crown Valley Parkway to SR 
241, new connections between Ortega Highway, Antonio Parkway, Avery 
Parkway, and SR-73, new general purpose lanes on I-5, new managed lanes 
on I-5, or combinations of these preliminary alternatives. Currently, 
the following alternatives are being considered, ranging from 
approximately 4 to 22 miles in length:

 Alternative 1/No Build Alternative; taking no action.
 Alternative 13; connect SR 241 to I-5 via a connection from 
Los Patrones Parkway to La Novia Avenue, I-5 widening and improvements, 
and the addition of HOT lanes in each direction on I-5
 Alternative 17; connect SR 241 to I-5 via a connection from 
Los Patrones Parkway to Avenida Vaquero, I-5 widening and improvements, 
and the addition of HOT lanes in each direction on I-5
 Alternative 14; connect SR 241 to I-5 via a connection from 
Los Patrones Parkway to Avenida Pico, I-5 widening and improvements, 
and the addition of HOT lanes in each direction on I-5
 Alternative 11; add I-5 general purpose lanes from I-405 to 
San Diego County
 Alternative 12; add I-5 HOT/toll lanes from I-405 to San Diego 
County
 Alternative 9; connect Ortega Highway and Antonio Parkway to 
Avery Parkway and SR 73
 Alternative 18; connect SR-241 to SR-73 and extend Crown 
Valley Parkway to SR 241
 Alternative 21; extend Los Patrones Parkway to Avenida La Pata 
and add HOT lanes in each direction on I-5
 Alternative 22; extend Los Patrones Parkway to Avenida La Pata
 Alternative 23; extend I-5 managed lanes from SR 73 to 
Basilone Road or from Avenida Pico to Basilone Road (depending on the 
design option)

    Anticipated Federal approvals include permits under the National 
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Clean Water Act (CWA) 
Section 401 Water Quality, CWA Section 404 Nationwide Permit from the 
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), CWA Section 10 Permit 
from the USACE, California Fish and Game Code Section 1602 Lake or 
Streambed Alteration Agreement from the California Department of Fish 
and Wildlife (CDFW), Section 7 Consultation with the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for listed species under the Federal 
Endangered Species Act (FESA), CDFW 2080.1 Consistency Determination 
for listed species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), 
and Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) Consistency Determination from 
the California Coastal Commission (CCC).
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, Participating Agencies, tribal 
governments, and local agencies, and to private organizations and 
citizens who have previously expressed or are known to have interest in 
this proposal. The public scoping process will officially begin in 
November 2019. In addition, a public hearing will be held once the 
Draft EIS is completed. Public notice will be given of the time and 
place of the meeting and hearing. The Draft EIS will be available for 
public and agency review and comment prior to the public hearing to 
ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action 
are addressed and all significant issues are identified, and comments 
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be 
directed to Caltrans 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: October 31, 2019.
Tashia Clemons,
Director, State Programs, Federal Highway Administration, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. 2019-24326 Filed 11-6-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P