Rescinding a Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Bridge Replacement Project, Bronx County, NY

Richard J. Marquis
Federal Highway Administration
6 May 2021

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 86 (Thursday, May 6, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24431-24432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09589]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Rescinding a Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for a Proposed Bridge Replacement Project, Bronx County, NY

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

ACTION: Notice to rescind a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA, in cooperation with the New York State Department of 
Transportation (NYSDOT) and the New York City Department of 
Transportation (NYCDOT), is issuing this Notice to advise the public 
that we are rescinding the 1999 Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a previous proposal to 
rehabilitate, reconstruct, or replace the Shore Road Bridge (a.k.a. 
Pelham Park bridge) over the Hutchinson River Project (the Project), in 
Bronx County, New York [New York State Department of Transportation 
(NYSDOT) Project Identification Number (PIN) X760.75]. We are 
rescinding the NOI because a substantial amount of time has passed 
since its publication and previously identified funding had been 
realocated to more urgent projects after September 11, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For FHWA: Richard J. Marquis, Division 
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, New York Division, Leo 
W. O'Brien Federal Building, 11A Clinton Avenue, Suite 719, Albany, New 
York 12207, Telephone: (518) 431-4127, Email: Rick.Marquis@dot.gov. For 
NYSDOT: Uchenna Madu, NYC Director of Planning & Program Management, 
New York State Department of Transportation, NYC Region, 47-40 21st 
Street, Long Island City, New York 11101, Telephone: (718) 482-4559, 
Email: Uchenna.Madu@dot.ny.gov. For NYCDOT: Naim Rasheed, Assistant 
Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation, 55 Water 
Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10041, Telephone: (212) 839-7710, 
Email: nrasheed@dot.nyc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the NYSDOT and 
the NYCDOT, previously intended to prepare an EIS to rehabilitate, 
reconstruct, or replace the Shore Road Bridge (a.k.a. Pelham Park 
bridge) on Shore Road in Bronx, County, New York (the Project). The 
NOI, which was published in the Federal Register on October 21, 1999 
(64 FR 56831), indicated that improvements to the bridge were 
considered necessary to provide for the existing and projected traffic 
demand, provide for safety improvements (standard shoulders and 
upgraded sidewalks and bikeways), and because the over 100-year old 
bridge is suffering structural degradation.
    The Shore Road Bridge is an 865-foot-long bridge with seven spans. 
The main span over the navigation channel is a double-leaf movable 
bascule span, which is flanked by three concrete arch spans on either 
side. The bridge and its associated roadway provide access to major 
interchanges with the Hutchinson River Parkway and Bruckner Expressway 
west of the bridge and City Island Road east of the bridge. The Project 
was initiated to improve safety (standard traffic lanes, shoulders, 
grades, and upgrade bicycle and pedestrian facilities) and to address 
structural and operational deficiencies of the Shore Road Bridge. As 
stated in the 1999 NOI, alternatives under consideration included (1) 
taking no action; (2) using alternate travel modes; (3) rehabilitating 
the existing bridge, and (4) constructing a new replacement bridge. 
These potential alternatives, except for taking no action and using 
alternate travel modes, included the common elements of improving the 
crossing of Shore Road over the Hutchinson River.
    Initially, the Project was not progressed because the budget 
allocated for the Project was reprioritized to more urgent projects 
after September 11, 2001. At that time, a long-term rehabilitation cost 
was estimated at 44 million dollars and new bridge construction 
alternatives costs ranged between approximately 62 and 122 million. 
Given funding constraints at the time, NYCDOT conducted a less costly 
major interim rehabilitation, completed in 2002, which addressed 
various imminent structural, safety, mechanical, and electrical issues 
on the bridge. The interim rehabilitation was progressed to prolong the 
bridge's service life until the environmental review and design 
approval process for the Project could be completed.
    Since 2002, bridge components have been repaired as needed when 
deterioration was noted in biennial inspection reports. Interim 
rehabilitation and occasional repairs prolonged the service life of the 
Shore Road Bridge but did not negate the eventual need to reassess 
another rehabilitation or replacement project. Subsequent to the 
interim rehabilitation, the Great Recession of 2007-2009 resulted in 
revenue losses that caused city agencies to reprioritize funding for 
projects. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage to NYCDOT 
and other city-owned facilities, which again diverted funding to 
address emergency repair work required in the aftermath of the storm. 
For these reasons and because a substantial amount of time has passed 
since the 1999 NOI was published, the 1999 NOI is being rescinded.
    The FHWA, NYSDOT, and NYCDOT will be evaluating a reasonable range 
of alternatives for the Shore Road Bridge over the Hutchinson River 
Project as a new proposed action, and an NOI for that action will be 
issued separately. Comments or questions concerning this recission 
should be directed to the FHWA, NYSDOT, and NYCDOT at the addresses 
provided in the For Further Information Contact section of this Notice.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, Highway 
Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program).

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 23 CFR part 771.


[[Page 24432]]


    Issued on: April 30, 2021.
Richard J. Marquis,
Division Administrator, Albany, New York.
[FR Doc. 2021-09589 Filed 5-5-21; 8:45 am]
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