Notice of Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement, I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia

The FHWA, as the Lead Federal Agency, and MDOT SHA, as the Local Project Sponsor, are issuing this notice to advise the public of our intention to prepare an EIS for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study (Study). The Study is the first element of a broader Traffic Relief Plan as announced by Governor Larry Hogan in September 2017, which considers improvements along the entire length of I-495 (Capital Beltway), as well as the entire length of I-270 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway) up to I-70 in Frederick County, Maryland. This EIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of alternatives that address congestion within the specific Study scope of I-495 from south of the American Legion Bridge in Fairfax County, Virginia to east of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 from I-495 to I-370, including the east and west I-270 spurs in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and provisions of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act and will include a range of reasonable alternatives, including a ``No Build'' alternative.