83 FR 62322 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the New U.S. Land Port of Entry in Madawaska, Maine and Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge Project

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 232 (December 3, 2018)

Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations, the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide, and the FHWA Policy Guide, GSA, PBS, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and MaineDOT, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and in coordination with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), announce the availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) assessing the potential impacts of a proposed new U.S. Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Madawaska, Maine and an International Bridge project between Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada (the ``Proposed Action'').

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 232 (Monday, December 3, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62322-62323]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26125]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2018-14; Docket No. 2018-0002; Sequence No. 33]


Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the New U.S. Land Port of Entry in Madawaska, 
Maine and Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge Project

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA); Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Maine Department of 
Transportation (MaineDOT).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations, the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide, and the 
FHWA Policy Guide, GSA, PBS, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 
and MaineDOT, in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and in 
coordination with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 
announce the availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (DSEIS) assessing the potential impacts of a proposed new 
U.S. Land Port of Entry (LPOE) in Madawaska, Maine and an International 
Bridge project between Madawaska and Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada 
(the ``Proposed Action'').

DATES: The GSA, FHWA, and MaineDOT will host a public hearing on 
Wednesday, December 12, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Madawaska High School gymnasium at 135 7th Avenue, 
Madawaska, Maine 04756, at 6:30 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time). The 
evening of the public hearing will consist of an open house to view 
displays beginning at 6:00 p.m., a brief presentation beginning at 6:30 
p.m., followed by an opportunity to provide comments on the contents of 
the DSEIS. Interested parties are encouraged to attend and provide 
written comments by Thursday, January 31, 2019.
    Written comments can be submitted by the following methods:
     Regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov). Submit comments via the Federal eRulemaking 
portal by searching the Notice number or ``New U.S. Land Port of Entry 
in Madawaska, Maine and Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge 
Project.'' Select the link ``Comment Now'' that corresponds with 
``Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the New U.S. Land Port of Entry in Madawaska, Maine and 
Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge Project'' on your attached 
document.
     Postal Mail or Email: Ms. Alexas Kelly, Project Manager, 
GSA, 10 Causeway Street, 11th Floor, Boston, MA 02222, or 
[email protected].
     Postal Mail: Ms. Cheryl Martin, Assistant Division 
Administrator, FHWA, Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building, 40 Western 
Avenue, Room 614, Augusta, ME 04330.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexas Kelly, Project Manager, GSA, 
New England Region, by phone at 617-549-8190 or by email at 
[email protected]. Please also call this number if special 
assistance is needed to attend and participate in the public hearing.

[[Page 62323]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GSA, FHWA, and MaineDOT will have copies 
of the DSEIS for review at the Town of Madawaska Town Office on 328 St. 
Thomas Street, Suite 1012, Madawaska, Maine 04756. Further information, 
including an electronic copy of the Draft SEIS, may be found online on 
the following website: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/regions/welcome-to-the-new-england-region-1/buildings-and-facilities/development-projects/madawaska-land-port-of-entry-madawaska-me.

Background

    The purpose of the project is to provide for the long-term safe and 
efficient flow of current and projected traffic volumes, including the 
movement of goods and people between Edmundston, New Brunswick and 
Madawaska, Maine. The need is that (1) the existing International 
Bridge is nearing the end of its useful life, and (2) the existing 
Madawaska Land Port of Entry is substandard, inhibiting the agencies 
assigned to the Port from adequately fulfilling their respective 
missions.
    The existing Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge, opened in 
1921, and its design life has been exceeded. Notable bridge 
deficiencies are (1) substandard roadway width and clearance, (2) 
foundation susceptible to undermining, (3) piers cracked and 
deteriorated, (4) significant steel corrosion, (5) bridge capacity is 
insufficient, and (6) deficiencies prompting the bridge posting on 
October 27, 2017, from 50 tons to 5 tons.
    A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of 
Decision (ROD) were published in January 2007, which addressed the 
construction of a new Madawaska LPOE.
    Built in 1959, the current LPOE suffers from facility, operational 
and site deficiencies, and does not meet current CBP mission and 
operational requirements for an LPOE. A few noted deficiencies: (1) 
Lack of office and inspection areas, (2) deficient inbound and outbound 
passenger and commercial processing areas, (3) inadequate queuing space 
for vehicles, and (4) inability to meet the Architectural Barriers Act. 
In furtherance of the LPOE Project, GSA previously acquired 
approximately nine acres of land but did not commence construction.
    A Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) is needed due 
to a change in circumstance, specifically the decision by MaineDOT and 
New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (NBDTI) 
to initiate the Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge project. The 
SEIS will address changes to the Proposed Action, including an updated 
design in accordance with current GSA and CBP requirements, and options 
for rehabilitation or replacement of the International Bridge (the 
totality of which may require additional land acquisition).
    The Proposed Action consists of replacing the existing 
International Bridge and the existing Madawaska LPOE to improve safety, 
security, and functionality.
    The new LPOE would consist of a main administration building and 
support building with parking, circulation and processing areas. The 
new LPOE would be designed in accordance with the requirements and 
criteria of the GSA and CBP to provide facilities adequate for 
fulfilling the agencies' respective missions. Portions of Mill Street 
and Main Street adjacent to the LPOE may be reconstructed or re-
profiled to provide smooth ingress and egress to the LPOE. The Proposed 
Action may include the demolition of the existing LPOE.
    The Proposed Action may include the demolition of the existing 
International Bridge.
    This DSEIS evaluates a no action alternative and several build 
alternatives for the LPOE and International Bridge. No alternative has 
been identified as the preferred alternative. However, a preferred 
location for the new LPOE and a preferred corridor for a new 
International Bridge have been selected. A no-build alternative is 
being studied that evaluates the consequences of not constructing the 
new International Bridge and LPOE. This alternative is included to 
provide a basis for comparison to the action alternatives described 
above as required by the NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1002.14(d)).
    The GSA, FHWA, and MaineDOT invite individuals, organizations, and 
agencies to submit comments concerning the content and findings of the 
DSEIS. The public comment period starts with the publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register and will continue until January 31, 
2019. The GSA, FHWA, and MaineDOT will consider and respond to comments 
received on the DSEIS in preparing the Final SEIS. The GSA, FHWA and 
MaineDOT expect to issue the Final SEIS by spring 2019, at which time 
its availability will be announced in the Federal Register and local 
media.

    Dated: November 21, 2018.
Drew Dilks,
Project Management Branch Chief, Design and Construction, Public 
Buildings Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-26125 Filed 11-30-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-23-P