Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Riverside and Orange Counties, CA

Topics:  Federal Highway Administration

Shawn E. Oliver (Federal Register)
May 26, 2011

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 102 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30754-30755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13042]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement: Riverside and Orange Counties, CA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), on behalf of the 
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), announces the 
availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed 
highway project in Riverside and Orange Counties, California.

DATES: The comment period for the State Route 91 Corridor Improvement 
Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement will end 45 days after 
publication of this Notice of Availability. A public meeting for the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be held on June 9, 2011 at 
the Corona Civic Center Gymnasium, 502 S. Vicentia, Corona, California 
92882, between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for 
review at the Riverside County Transportation Commission, 4080 Lemon 
Street, 3rd Floor, Riverside, CA 92501, the Corona Public Library, 650 
S. Main Street, Corona, CA 92882, the City of Corona Public Works 
Department, 400 S. Vicentia Ave., 2nd Floor, Suite 210, Corona, CA 
92882, and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), District 
8, 464 W. Fourth Street, San Bernardino, CA 92401. The Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement is also available at http://www.sr91project.info/index.php.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aaron Burton, Senior Environmental 
Planner, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), District 
8, 464 West Fourth Street, Sixth Floor, San Bernardino, California 
92401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Effective July 1, 2007, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 
assigned, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 
assumed, environmental responsibilities for this project pursuant to 23 
U.S.C. 327. Caltrans as the delegated National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) agency has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement on a 
proposal for a highway improvement project in Riverside County, 
California. The State Route 91 Corridor Improvement Project proposes to 
increase capacity on the State Route 91 and Interstate 15 in Riverside 
and Orange Counties. The State Route 91 Corridor Improvement Project 
proposes to widen existing SR-91 from the State Route 91/State Route 
241 interchange in the Cities of Anaheim and Yorba Linda in Orange 
County to Pierce Street in the City of Riverside in Riverside County. 
The proposed project also includes improvements to Interstate 15 in 
Riverside County between the Interstate 15/Cajalco Road interchange in 
the City of Corona and the Interstate 15/Hidden Valley Parkway 
interchange in the Cities of Corona and Norco. The project limits on 
Interstate 15 begin at Cajalco Road, approximately 5 miles south of SR-
91 and extend north on Interstate 15 to Hidden Valley Parkway, 
approximately 1 mile north of SR-91.
    The alternatives evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement are two Build Alternatives and a No Build Alternative. Both 
State Route 91 Corridor Improvement Project Build Alternatives would 
add one general purpose lane in each direction on the project segment 
of State Route 91. These lane additions would be continuous throughout 
the project limits. Both Build Alternatives would provide auxiliary 
lanes or collector-distributor roads at interchanges and would modify 
the existing interchange geometrics within the project limits to 
improve traffic operations. The Build Alternatives include upgrades to 
existing State Route 91 to standard shoulder, lane, and buffer widths 
where those upgrades can be accommodated. Alternative 1 would maintain 
one median high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction on State 
Route 91 within the project limits and proposes two HOV lane 
connectors: From eastbound State Route 91 to southbound Interstate 15 
and from northbound Interstate 15 to westbound State Route 91. 
Alternative 1 would also add one HOV lane in each direction on 
Interstate 15 extending from the proposed HOV lane connectors south to 
Ontario Avenue. Alternative 2 proposes to convert the existing HOV 
lanes to two tolled express lanes in each direction on State Route-91 
from the Orange/Riverside County line to Interstate 15 including two 
express lane connectors:

[[Page 30755]]

From eastbound State Route 91 to southbound Interstate 15 and from 
northbound Interstate 15 to westbound State Route 91. Alternative 2 
also proposes to add express lane connectors from eastbound State Route 
91 to northbound Interstate 15 and from southbound Interstate 15 to 
westbound State Route 91. Alternative 2 would also add one tolled 
express lane in each direction on Interstate 15 extending from the 
proposed express lane connectors north to Hidden Valley Parkway and 
south to Cajalco Road. The No-Build Alternative would generally 
maintain the current configuration of State Route 91 and Interstate 15. 
The Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register July 3, 
2008. The project's termini on State Route 91 is at State Route 241 on 
the west and Pierce Street on the east. On Interstate 15, the project's 
termini are Hidden Valley Parkway on the north and Cajalco on the 
south. The project segment of State Route 91 extends approximately 14 
miles and approximately 6 miles on Interstate 15. Anticipated Federal 
approvals include, Modified Access Report to the Interstate System, Air 
Quality Conformity, Section 7 consultation for Threatened and 
Endangered Species, and a Section 404 individual permit.

(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: May 20, 2011.
Shawn E. Oliver,
South Team Leader, State Programs, Federal Highway Administration, 
Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2011-13042 Filed 5-25-11; 8:45 am]
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