[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 207 (Wednesday, October 27, 1999)] [Notices] [Page 57924] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-28052] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration Environmental Impact Statement: Lebanon County, PA
Agency
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
Action
Notice of intent.
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Summary
The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed highway project in the City of Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
For Further Information Contact
David W. Cough P.E., Director of Operations, Federal Highway Administration, Pennsylvania Division Office, 228 Walnut Street, Room 536, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101-1720, Telephone: 717-221-3411, or Mark Malhenzie, Project Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Engineering District 8-0, 2140 Herr Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17103, Telephone: 717-783-5080.
Supplementary Information
The FHWA, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), will conduct a project Needs Analysis and Design Location Studies and will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate alternatives which provide grade-separated access over a railroad corridor located in the City of Lebanon. The study area will extend from 12th Street to Lincoln Avenue. The railroad corridor is an active lien recently acquired by Norfolk Southern. The railroad line is a high-density rail line with eight at-grade crossings through the City of Lebanon. There are no grade-separated crossing through the City causing long queues at the crossings which result in congestion and unacceptable delays for emergency service providers. The study offers the opportunity to provide grade-separated motorist, bicycle and pedestrian crossings and eliminate some at-grade crossings. Potential impacts to the environment include cultural resources and residential and business displacements. The initial stage of this process is for scoping, documentation of the project need, and development of conceptual alignment corridors. This stage of the study will culminate in a Needs Analysis Report. A range of conceptual alignment corridors will be developed and examined within the context of the identified project needs, environmental and socioeconomic constraints, and public input, as well as their consistency with County and municipal plans and policies. Alternatives to be examined will include the No-Build Alternative. This analysis will be used to refine the alternatives or eliminate a particular alternative from further consideration due to the potential for socio-economic, environmental, or engineering impacts. This stage of the study will result in a Preliminary Alternatives Analysis Report. Following the preliminary analysis, the alternatives which are recommended for further study will be developed in greater detail and the environmental impacts for each will be assessed and described in the Environmental Impact Statement. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who express an interest in the proposal. Agency scoping and public meetings will be initiated in Fall 1999. Public involvement and inter-agency coordination will be maintained throughout the development of the study. Public notices of the time and place of the public meetings and any required public hearings will be provided. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action are addressed and that all significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be directed to the FHWA or PennDOT at the addresses provided above.
(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: October 19, 1999. David W. Cough, Director of Operations, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. [FR Doc. 99-28052 Filed 10-26-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-22-M