Environmental Impact Statement; Heber Valley Corridor, Wasatch County, Utah

Ivan Marrero
Federal Highway Administration
11 May 2021

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25935-25937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09920]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Heber Valley Corridor, Wasatch 
County, Utah

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (USDOT).

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

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SUMMARY: FHWA, on behalf of the Utah Department of Transportation 
(UDOT), is issuing this notice to advise the public that an EIS will be 
prepared for proposed transportation improvements in the Heber Valley 
in Wasatch County, Utah.

[[Page 25936]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naomi Kisen, Environmental Program 
Manager, UDOT Environmental Services Division, 4501 South 2700 West, 
P.O. Box 148450, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-8450; telephone: (801) 965-
4005; email: nkisen@utah.gov. Craig Hancock, PE, Heber Valley Corridor 
Project Manager, UDOT Region Three, 658 North 1500 West, Orem, UT 
84057; telephone: (801) 227-8034; email: chancock@utah.gov.

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 UDOT pursuant to 23 
U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated January 17, 2017, 
and executed by FHWA and UDOT. UDOT, as the assigned National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) agency, will prepare an EIS to evaluate 
transportation solutions to improve mobility through the Heber Valley 
and the operation of U.S. 40 in Wasatch County, Utah. The proposed 
project study area is centered on U.S. 40 from State Route (S.R.) 32 to 
the intersection with U.S. 189. The study area expands to include about 
1.5 miles west of U.S. 40, 1.5 miles east of U.S. 40, and 1.5 miles 
south of the intersection of U.S. 40 and U.S. 189.
    UDOT initiated an early scoping process in the spring of 2020 to 
provide information and solicit input before issuing this notice of 
intent. During early scoping, UDOT conducted a traffic and safety 
technical analysis and coordinated with agencies, stakeholders, and the 
public to identify transportation needs, preliminary alternatives, and 
potentially significant environmental issues. A public early scoping 
meeting was held on August 27, 2020. Based on early scoping, UDOT 
developed a draft purpose and need. The Draft Purpose and Need 
Technical Report and an Early Scoping Summary Report are available on 
the project website at https://hebervalleyeis.udot.utah.gov.
    The preliminary purpose of this project as identified by UDOT is to 
improve regional and local mobility on U.S. 40 from S.R. 32 to U.S. 189 
through 2050 while allowing Heber City to meet their vision for the 
historic town center. The need identified for the project is related 
primarily to traffic during peak periods, which is expected to get 
worse with increasing population. The primary needs include (1) the 
character and function of U.S. 40 changes from a 65-miles-per-hour 
(mph) limited-access freeway to a 35-mph Main Street in Heber City with 
signalized intersections, throughput is traded for increased access 
within Heber's historic core resulting in congestion and delay; (2) 
U.S. 40 is currently operating at failing conditions (level of service 
F) from 100 North to 100 South during the PM peak hour, and these 
conditions will continue to get worse by 2050; (3) all signalized 
intersections on U.S. 40 are currently operating at acceptable 
conditions, but they are expected to operate at failing conditions 
during the PM peak hour by 2050; (4) southbound travel time on U.S. 40 
from S.R. 32 to U.S. 189 during the PM peak hour will double by 2050 if 
no improvements are made; and (5) queue lengths (vehicles backed up 
waiting to get through an intersection) during the PM peak hour will 
increase and spill back to other intersections and onto U.S. 40 north 
of town where the posted speed is 55 mph, resulting in safety concerns. 
Opportunities to provide for more active transportation (e.g., bicycle 
and pedestrian) will also be part of the EIS.
    To address these needs UDOT is proposing to provide additional 
north-south capacity, either through constructing a bypass road or 
improving existing roads. UDOT will consider a range of alternatives 
based on the purpose of and need for the project and taking into 
account agency and public input. The currently contemplated 
alternatives include (1) taking no action; (2) improvements to U.S. 40 
such as adding lanes and intersection improvements; (3) improvements to 
existing roads other than U.S. 40; (4) a one-way-couplet system; (5) a 
new bypass west of U.S. 40; (6) a new bypass east of U.S. 40; (7) 
Transportation System Management (TSM); (8) transit; and (9) other 
reasonable alternatives if identified during the EIS process. 
Alternatives that do not meet the project's purpose and need or that 
are otherwise not reasonable will not be carried forward for detailed 
consideration in the EIS.
    During the early scoping process, the public and agencies 
identified issues important to the community and natural environment 
that should be evaluated in the EIS. Based on this input, the EIS will 
evaluate the expected impacts and benefits from the proposed project to 
the following resources: Land use, farmland, social and community 
resources, environmental justice, traffic, economics, pedestrian and 
bicyclist considerations, air quality, noise, water quality, ecosystem 
resources (wetlands, wildlife, and threatened and endangered species), 
floodplains, cultural resources, hazardous waste sites, and visual 
resources.
    A coordination plan is being prepared to define the agency and 
public participation procedure for the environmental review process. 
The plan will establish cooperating and participating agency roles and 
a review schedule and will be posted on the project website. The 
project could require FHWA to reroute a U.S. highway on the National 
Network (highways designated for use by commercial truck traffic). The 
project might also require a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE) under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and 
approvals from other agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS) for impacts to threatened and endangered species in the 
project area. Cooperating agencies have been preliminarily identified 
to include USACE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. UDOT 
anticipates issuing a single Final Environmental Impact Statement and 
Record of Decision within 24 months in spring 2023.
    Public involvement is a critical component of the project 
development process and will continue throughout the development of the 
EIS. All individuals and organizations expressing interest in the 
project will be able to participate in the process through various 
public outreach opportunities. These opportunities include, but are not 
limited to, public meetings and hearing(s), the project website, and 
press releases. Public notice will be given of the time and place of 
all public meetings and hearing(s). A public scoping meeting is not 
planned because one was held during the early scoping process. All 
interested parties are requested to provide comments on the draft 
purpose and need (available on the project website) and potential 
alternatives and impacts, and to identify any relevant information, 
studies or analyses of any kind concerning impacts affecting the 
quality of the human environment relevant to the project . Written 
comments or questions should be directed to UDOT representatives at the 
mail or email addresses provided above. A 45-day public comment period 
will run from April 30 to June 14, 2021.
    For more information, please visit the project website at https://hebervalleyeis.udot.utah.gov. Information requests or comments can also 
be emailed to hebervalleyeis@utah.gov.

(Catalog of Federal and Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation on

[[Page 25937]]

Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)

Ivan Marrero,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Salt Lake City, 
Utah.
[FR Doc. 2021-09920 Filed 5-10-21; 8:45 am]
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