Environmental Impact Statement: Denver, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties |
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Ronald A. Speral/Louis F. Mraz, Jr.
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Transit Administration
February 11, 1998
[Federal Register: February 11, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 28)]
[Notices]
[Page 7044-7045]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11fe98-119]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement: Denver, Arapahoe, and Douglas
Counties
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent and public scoping meetings.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA and FTA are jointly issuing this notice to advise the
public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for the
proposed transportation improvements in the Southeast Corridor of the
Denver metropolitan area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Vincent P. Barone, FHWA Colorado Division, 555 Zang Street, Room
250, Denver, Co 80228, Telephone: (303) 969-6730, extension 369
Mr. David L. Beckhouse, FTA Region VIII, 216 16th Street Mall, Suite
650, Denver, CO 80202, Telephone (303) 844-3242
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA and FTA, in cooperation with the
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), hereby give notice that
they intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for
transportation improvements in the Southeast Corridor of the Denver
metropolitan area. This EIS will
[[Page 7045]]
evaluate the No Build, and a Light Rail Transit alternative (including
highway improvements and transportation management solutions) in the I-
25 Southeast Corridor study limits from Broadway to Lincoln Avenue,
which includes I-225 from I-25 to Parker Road, and determine the
estimated costs and potential impacts associated with each. CDOT will
be the local lead agency for the preparation of the EIS. The EIS also
will satisfy the requirements of the 1999 Clean Air Act Amendments.
Scoping will be accomplished through coordination with affected
parties, organizations, federal, state and local agencies and through
three public meetings which will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at
the following locations and dates:
Tuesday, March 31, 1998, Castlewood Public Library, 6739 South Uinta
Street, Denver, CO 80112
Thursday, April 2, 1998, Most Precious Blood Catholic School, 2250
South Harrison, Denver, CO 80210
Tuesday, April 7, 1998, Hebrew Educational Alliance, 3600 South
Ivanhoe, Denver, CO 80237
A 45-day scoping period will begin on March 4, 1998 and conclude on
April 17, 1998. Written comments on the scope of the alternatives and
impacts to be considered must be received by CDOT by April 17, 1998.
Written comments on project scope should be sent to:
Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, Region 6 Planning and Environmental Manager CDOT,
2000 South Holly Street, Denver, CO 80222 Telephone: (303) 757-9818
or
Mr. John Basner, Region 6 South Area Program Engineer, CDOT, 2000 South
Holly Street, Denver, CO 80222, Telephone: (303) 757-9387
FHWA, FTA, CDOT, and other local agencies invite interested
individuals, organizations, and federal, state and local agencies to
participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS and
identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues
related to the alternatives. An information packet describing the
purpose of the project, the proposed alternatives, the areas to be
evaluated, the citizen involvement program, and the preliminary project
schedule will be developed. These scoping materials may be requested by
contacting Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, Region 6 Planning and Environmental
Manager, or Mr. John Basner, Region 6 South Area Program Engineer, at
the address and phone numbers above. Scoping comments may be made
verbally at the public scoping meetings or in writing. The public will
receive notices on location and time of the scoping meetings through
newspaper advertisements and individual correspondence.
To ensure that a full range of issues related to this proposed
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified,
comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. If
you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further
information as the project develops, contact Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, or
Mr. John Basner, as previously described.
The proposed action is consistent with the recently completed
Southeast Corridor Major Investment Study. It begins at approximately
I-25 and Broadway and proceeds south and southeast to Lincoln Avenue
following the general alignment of I-25. Also included is a segment
along I-225 from I-25 to Parker Road. The proposed action excludes any
proposed roadway improvements near I-25 from 6th Avenue to
approximately the Logan Street crossing, including the I-25
interchanges at Alameda, Santa Fe, and Broadway. Transit and highway
improvements are intended to alleviate traffic congestion in the
Southeast Corridor, address safety problems and help achieve regional
air quality goals by providing an alternative to the single occupant
vehicle.
The alternatives to be evaluated include the following. The No-
Build alternative will serve as the baseline for environmental analysis
and consists of the existing transit and highway systems and all
projects contained in the federally approved Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) for the Denver metropolitan area. The Light Rail Transit
(LRT) alternative will generally use the I-25 right-of-way between
Broadway and Lincoln Avenue, and the I-225 right-of-way between I-25
and Parker. This alternative, designed to accommodate future
transportation needs, also includes improvements to the highway,
transportation systems management, and pedestrian facilities in the
study area.
FHWA, FTA, and CDOT will evaluate all significant social, economic,
and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The primary areas of
examination will include transit ridership, the capital outlays needed
to construct the recommended alternative, the cost of operating and
maintaining facilities created by the project, and the financial
requirements on the funding agencies. Environmental and social impacts
to be evaluated in the analysis include land use and neighborhood
impacts, traffic and parking impacts near stations, visual impacts,
hazardous material impacts, impacts on cultural and paleontological
resources, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on natural areas,
threatened and endangered species, air and water quality, groundwater,
and geological forms will also be covered. The impacts will be
evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period
of operation. Measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts will be
developed.
In accordance with the Federal Transit Act, as amended, and FHWA
and FTA policy, the draft EIS will be prepared with required
engineering design studies necessary to complete the document. After
its publication, the draft EIS will be available for public and agency
review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the basis of
the Draft EIS and the comments received, a preferred alternative will
be selected and preparation of the Final EIS and Record of Decision
will proceed.
(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)
Issued on: February 5, 1998.
Ronald A. Speral,
Environmental/ROW Program Manager Colorado Division
Federal Highway Administration,
Lakewood, Colorado.
Louis F. Mraz, Jr.,
Regional Administrator,
Federal Transit Administration,
Region VIII
Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 98-3409 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]
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