[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 220 (Wednesday, November 16, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28224]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: November 16, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 2114]
Laredo Northwest International Bridge (Bridge IV), Laredo, TX:
Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Department of State.
ACTION: Notice of a finding of no significant impact with regard to
issuance of a permit to build a cross-border bridge.
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SUMMARY: The Department of State is announcing a finding of no
significant impact on the environment for the Laredo Northwest
International Bridge (Bridge IV) project sponsored by the City of
Laredo, Texas. An environmental assessment of the proposed Laredo
Northwest International Bridge project was prepared by Parsons
Brinkerhoff, Quade & Douglas, Inc. of Austin, Texas, for the sponsor,
the City of Laredo, Texas. The draft environmental assessment was
reviewed by over two dozen federal, state, and local agencies. After
revisions based on comments received from interested agencies and other
parties, the final assessment was reviewed and approved or accepted by
the Immigration and Naturalization Service, General Services
Administration, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture,
Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal
Highway Administration, Food and Drug Administration, International
Boundary and Water Commission--U.S. Section, Department of Defense,
Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Department of State, and the appropriate Texas State agencies--the
Parks and Wildlife Department, the Department of Transportation, and
the Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Based on the
environmental assessment, information developed during the review of
the City's application and environmental assessment, and comments
received, the Department has concluded that issuance of the permit will
not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment
within the United States. An environmental impact statement will not be
prepared.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental assessment and the finding of no
significant impact may be obtained from Stephen R. Gibson, Office of
Mexican Affairs, Room 4258, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520
(Telephone 202-647-8529).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action
The City of Laredo, Texas, has requested a permit to build a new
bridge, with access road, to be constructed across the Rio Grande
between Laredo, Texas, USA, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The
bridge is to be located 9.35 river miles north along the Rio Grande
from the existing Laredo International Bridge I. Initially, it will
carry pedestrian and freight traffic only, and is intended to relieve
the traffic burden on existing bridges in downtown areas. As a
condition of issuance of the Presidential Permit, the City of Laredo
has agreed to ban all commercial traffic from the two existing bridges
in downtown Laredo. The work will include the following items: The
bridge structure, the U.S. Customs Border Import lot facilities, a City
Toll Plaza and Export lot facilities, water and sewer facilities and a
State Highway facility (Extension of FM 3464) connecting to FM 1472.
The new bridge is needed to provide an alternate route for existing
commercial truck traffic, which currently passes from the two downtown
bridges through the city streets of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. Increases
in truck traffic at Laredo have averaged 19 percent over the past five
years, and can reasonably be expected to continue increasing with the
entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Factors Considered
The Department of State (``the Department'') is charged with
issuance of Presidential Permits for the construction of international
bridges under the International Bridge Act of 1972, 86 Stat. 731; 33
U.S.C. 535 et seq., and Executive Order 11423, 33 FR 11741 (1968), as
amended by Executive Order 12847 of May 17, 1993, 33 FR 96 (1993). The
Department considered four alternative actions in this case: (1) Denial
of a Presidential Permit (the ``no action;'' alternative), (2) the City
providing public transportation services between Laredo and Nuevo
Laredo, (3) issuance of a Presidential Permit with a condition
requiring diversion of all commercial traffic from the two existing
downtown bridges in Laredo and (4) issuance of a Presidential Permit
without a condition requiring the diversion of all commercial traffic
from the two existing downtown bridges.
In considering the ``no action'' alternative, and the alternative
of the City providing public transportation services between Laredo and
Nuevo Laredo, the Department noted the continuing increases in
commercial truck traffic on the existing Laredo bridges. Truck traffic
(southbound only) increased from 274,743 trucks in 1987 to 781,332 in
1993. It also noted the implementation of NAFTA beginning January 1,
1994, which it believes will further stimulate the growth of truck
traffic through Laredo. Approximately 60 percent of the commercial
truck traffic between the United States and Mexico already passes
through Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. The population of the Laredo
Metropolitan Statistical Area increased from 99,258 in 1980 to 133,239
in 1990 and is expected to increase to 259,000 by the year 2010. The
City of Nuevo Laredo in Mexico has also seen considerable growth in the
last ten years; its population is expected to increase to as much as
350,000 by 2010. The increasing population, urbanization and commerce
in the Laredo area mean that existing problems of air pollution,
traffic congestion, and danger from hazardous waste caused by heavy
truck traffic will continue to cause the quality of the environment of
the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo downtown areas to deteriorate if no acceptable
alternative route for such traffic is provided.
The third alternative considered and the alternative chosen was to
issue a Presidential Permit for construction of a bridge with a
condition requiring diversion of all commercial traffic from the two
existing downtown bridges in Laredo. The advantage of issuing a permit
with such a condition is that it virtually eliminates the above-
mentioned problems of air pollution, traffic congestion and danger from
hazardous waste from the Laredo downtown area, insofar as these
problems are caused by commercial truck traffic. The City has agreed to
designate the new facility as a commercial crossing only and to route
all commercial traffic from the two existing downtown bridges.
The fourth alternative considered was the issuance of a
Presidential Permit without a condition requiring the diversion of all
commercial traffic from the two existing downtown bridges. Under this
alternative, the environmental effects would be essentially the same as
described below, except that benefits to the environment of downtown
Laredo would not be as great as in the third alternative, as there is
no assurance that commercial trucks would leave the downtown area and
use the new bridge. Except as a condition of issuance of a Presidential
Permit, the Department of State has no authority to require the City of
Laredo to reroute traffic from the downtown bridges. If the new bridge
is not constructed, the City of Laredo is under no obligation to ban
commercial truck traffic from the downtown bridges at all, and such
traffic would not be diverted to other bridges in the area, such as the
Colombia/Solidarity bridge.
The Environmental Assessment submitted by the City provides
information on the environmental effects of the construction of a new
bridge. On the basis of the Environmental Assessment, and information
developed by the Department and the other federal and state agencies in
the process of reviewing the Environmental Assessment, the Department
makes the following conclusions regarding the impact of construction of
a new international bridge at the proposed location.
Air Quality
Webb County, Texas, within which the proposed bridge is located, is
designated as an attainment area for National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS). Since Webb County is in attainment, meeting the
currently established National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the U.S.
Clean Air Act does not mandate that the State Implementation Plan (SIP)
address non-attainment requirements. Virtually all the air pollution
caused by the City's proposal would be vehicle emissions. As noted
above, rerouting commercial truck traffic from downtown Laredo bridges
to this bridge and the Colombia/Solidarity bridge will have a positive
impact on air quality in downtown Laredo. Overall emissions in Laredo
would be reduced because of reductions in idling time, startups and
stops associated with long waits for inspection at the existing
bridges. Construction of the bridge and related infrastructure will
have some transient impacts on air quality but it is not expected that
the ambient pollutants will cause violations of the National Ambient
Air Quality Standards. Based on the project descriptions provided, the
Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission does not expect that air
emissions associated with the project will substantially impact ambient
air quality.
River Channel and Floodplains
Construction of the bridge involves placing of concrete piers and
may have some minor short-term effects on the Rio Grande channel.
However, the City states that the bridge when constructed will not
alter the existing hydrogeological characteristics and will not
increase backwater elevation in the Rio Grande by more than one foot.
The bottom of the structure will be 12.13 feet above the International
Boundary and Water Commission's required water surface elevation and
will permit passage under the bridge of the 100-year flood of 181,000
cubic feet per second. The proposal was reviewed by the International
Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, each of which have concurred in the issuance of a
Permit. Final design of the bridge will require the approval of the
IBWC.
Historical and Archaeological Resources
A programmatic agreement has been executed among the Department of
State, the Advisory Council in Historic Preservation, the Texas State
Historic Preservation Officer, the Texas Department of Transportation
and the City of Laredo, addressing to the satisfaction of those
agencies the City's obligation to avoid, minimize or mitigate the
effects of the bridge project on known and potential historic and
archaeological resources within the construction area. The Presidential
Permit contains a provision that the City notify the United States
Coast Guard if before or during construction historic or archaeological
properties are located and, if construction has already started, cease
construction immediately and prepare a Section 4(f) statement.
Land Use
The bridge and border station site are in an undeveloped area
within the city limits. The City's Future Land Use Plan shows the
project area as open space along the Rio Grande floodplain, retail/
office and warehouse/light industrial. The site is predominantly native
range and brush land. The general trend of growth of the City of Laredo
indicates that the area between the Mines Road and the Rio Grande is
likely to be developed for warehouse, industrial and commercial uses
even in the absence of a border crossing. The opening of a border
crossing will probably accelerate that development. The project will
not alter any park or recreational lands or significantly reduce any
land suitable for agricultural crops.
Threatened and Endangered Species
Construction of the project and subsequent development will not
result in a significant reduction in range and brush land available for
habitat. As noted above, given the trends in growth of the City of
Laredo, such habitat loss as may occur is likely to occur even without
construction of the bridge. Short-term disruption of narrow bands of
vegetation and thickets along the Rio Grande may occur in the course of
construction of the bridge and supporting piers. However, no permanent
structures, other than bridge piers will be placed in this area, and
after construction of the bridge, the area is expected to revegetate.
The City has committed to maintaining the Rio Grande as a corridor for
wildlife. In a seven point mitigation plan accepted by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service on August 24, 1994, the City agreed, among other
measures, to amend its Land Use Plan, designating the floodplains areas
along the Rio Grande and the arroyos located in the vicinity of the
proposed project as open space. This was accomplished by City Council
resolution of June 27, 1994. The mitigation plan is part of the City's
bridge permit application.
Noise
Modeling of the expected traffic noise levels in the years 2000 and
2010 respectively predicts an hourly A-weighted sound level of 71 to 72
dBA, respectively. These levels do not exceed noise abatement criteria
established by the FHWA. The closest residential area receptor to the
proposed project is a residential unit located approximately 2,050 feet
north of the proposed project site. There is a three decibel reduction
in noise every time the distance between the noise source and the
receptor is doubled. Assuming the noise analysis was conducted on the
centerline of a 300 feet wide right-of-way, the predicated 71 dBA would
be reduced to approximately 30 dBA at the residential unit. Given
reference noise levels of 80 dBA, 77.5 dBA or 75 dBA at 50 feet from
trucks accelerating or decelerating, the noise levels anticipated at
the residential unit would be 64, 61 and 59 dBA respectively, noise
levels that are acceptable for picnic areas, recreation areas,
playgrounds, active sports areas and parks.
Water Quality/Public Water Supply
The area of the bridge and associated development will be served by
the sewage system of the City of Laredo. Existing water treatment
facilities are adequate to handle the increased waste loads anticipated
to be produced as a result of the project. Construction activities may
result in transient impacts on water quality. The Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission has stated that its concerns regarding
water quality, including any discharges which may originate from the
project, have been met.
Wetlands
Some minor wetlands are located along the banks of the Rio Grande.
As noted above, construction may have some transient effects on these
areas, but no permanent construction other than bridge piers will occur
in this area which might reduce or otherwise affect the wetlands.
Finding of the Environmental Assessment
On the basis of the Environmental Assessment, information developed
during the review of the City's application and environmental
assessment, and comments received, a finding of no significant impact
(``FONSI'') is adopted and an environmental impact statement will not
be prepared.
Dated: October 3, 1994.
Stephen R. Gibson,
Coordinator, U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs, Office of Mexican Affairs.
[FR Doc. 94-28224 Filed 11-15-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-29-M