[Federal Register: October 29, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 208)]
[Notices]
[Page 61209]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29oc07-116]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Notice of Intent (for NEPA EIS); Environmental Impact Statement:
Erie County, NY
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 proposed highway
project: NYS Route 198 (Scajaquada Expressway) Corridor, PIN 5470.22,
I-190 to NYS Route 33, City of Buffalo, Erie County, New York.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan E. Taylor, Regional Director,
NYSDOT Region 5; 100 Seneca Street, Buffalo NY 14203, Telephone: 716-
847-3238; or Amy Jackson-Grove, Acting Division Administrator, Federal
Highway Administration, New York division, Leo W. O'Brien Federal
Building, 9th Floor, Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, Albany, New
York 12207, Telephone: (518) 431-4127.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the New York
State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve NYS Route
198 in Erie County, New York. The proposed improvement would involve
the rehabilitation or reconstruction of the existing route between
Interstate 190 and NYS Route 33 in the City of Buffalo for a distance
of about 3.3 miles.
NYS Route 198 (the Scajaquada Expressway) is an Urban Principal
Arterial Expressway on the National Highway System connecting
Interstate 190 and NYS Route 33 with traffic volumes between 34,000 and
54,000 vehicles per day, a design speed of 55 mph, and grade separated
interchanges. The expressway is subject to congestion (a poor Level of
Service at several intersections) and accidents (higher than expected
rates), with a portion of the corridor identified as having ``severe
safety needs.'' There are also areas of poor pavement conditions and
failing drainage systems. The expressway facility is at odds with the
context of the surrounding culturally rich community resources,
including a nationally renowned art gallery, an historic Olmsted-
designed park, an historic cemetery, historic buildings, higher
education institutions and residential neighborhoods. The expressway
acts as a barrier, dividing the park and hindering the use of these
resources by the community including pedestrians and bicyclists. A
transportation facility is needed that balances the need to be in
harmony with the surrounding community character with the need to
provide safe and efficient transportation service for all modes of
transportation through the affected area.
The range of alternatives will include no action and give
consideration to design components derived from a previous study that
investigated changing the expressway character of the existing facility
by eliminating grade separated interchanges and providing design
elements appropriate to an arterial including at-grade intersections
with signals or roundabouts. Alternatives studied may include
rehabilitation of the existing roadway, as well as full reconstruction
including new curbs, highway drainage, sidewalks, bicycle paths and
shared-use facilities, improved highway lighting and signing, and
landscape enhancements. Areas of concern emphasized in the study will
include potential environmental impacts upon the adjacent
neighborhoods, parks, cultural resources, air quality and surface
waters from construction, traffic and traffic noise. Additional input
from Participating and Cooperating Agencies, and from the public, will
be necessary before a final decision will be made regarding the full
range of alternatives to be studied.
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 have previously expressed
interest in this proposal. A series of public information meetings will
be held in the City of Buffalo between November 2007 and February 2010.
In addition, a public hearing will be held. Public notice will be given
of the time and place of the meetings and hearings. The draft EIS will
be available for public and agency review and comment. A formal NEPA
scoping meeting will be held in the lecture hall of the main building
at Medaille College, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 on November
28 at 6 p.m.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or
questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to the NYSDOT or FHWA at the addresses provided above.
(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.)
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; U.S.C. 771.123.
Issued on: October 17, 2007.
Amy Jackson-Grove,
Acting Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Albany,
New York.
[FR Doc. E7-21214 Filed 10-26-07; 8:45 am]
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