[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 223 (Monday, November 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-28656]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 21, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration

 

Environmental Impact Statement: Monroe and Greenbrier County, WV, 
Giles County, VA

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 involving about 52 miles of US 219 and extending from US 460 in 
the south to 3.5 miles north of I-64 in the north. A 2-mile length of 
US 219 from the Rich Creek junction with US 460 to the state line is in 
Giles County, Virginia. The remaining section of US 219 is in Monroe 
County and Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bobby W. Blackmon, Acting Division 
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, 550 Eagan Street, Suite 
300, Charleston, West Virginia 25301, Telephone: (304) 347-5929, or Ben 
L. Hark, Environmental Section Chief, Roadway Design Division, West 
Virginia Department of Transportation, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, 
Building 5, Room A-830, Capitol Complex, Charleston, West Virginia 
25305-0430, Telephone: (304) 558-3236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the West 
Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH), will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed highway improvement to US 219 
expanding the existing two-lane roadway to a four-lane, controlled 
access highway. Most of the 52-mile highway improvement will occur in 
West Virginia, with a 2-mile section at the southern end extending into 
Virginia.
    The intent of the project is to improve access in the project area 
where US 219 serves as the primary north-south route through major 
population concentrations, business centers, and recreation areas in 
the eastern portion of West Virginia. Also, the roadway comprises the 
southernmost segment of the 540-mile long ``Seneca Trail International 
Highway,'' as US 219 is presently known. This highway proceeds from the 
Canadian border at Buffalo to Virginia, linking with interstate 
highways to all mid-Atlantic and southeastern states. Following 
implementation of the US/Canada and North American Free Trade (NAFTA) 
Agreements, increasing trade and tourist traffic is expected, which 
could promote economic expansion in adjacent depressed areas of 
Appalachia.
    Present roadway deficiencies in the proposed project area include 
sections with poor geometric design, lack of sight distance, poor level 
of service, restrictive speed limits, and a lack of passing 
opportunities. These functional, operational, and physical deficiencies 
compel this action.
    Project alternatives will involve the No-Action Alternative and a 
combination of Build Alternatives.
    The EIS will assess the alternatives and their environmental 
effects through detailed studies of socioeconomic, natural, visual, and 
cultural resources; air quality; noise impacts; secondary and 
cumulative effects; energy utilization; hazardous wastes; utilities; 
and permitting. Joint development prospects, congestion management, the 
relationship between local short-term uses of man's environment and the 
maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity, and any 
irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would be 
involved in the proposed action will be determined.
    A Plan of Study describing the proposed action and soliciting 
comments will be forwarded to appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies. Agencies will be invited to attend a scoping meeting where 
aspects of the proposed action will be discussed. When completed, the 
draft EIS will be provided for public and agency review and comment.
    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 the proposed action should be directed to the FHWA 
or West Virginia Department of Transportation at the addresses 
provided.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 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.)

    Issued on: November 8, 1994.
Bobby W. Blackmon,
Acting Division Administrator, Charleston, West Virginia.
[FR Doc. 94-28656 Filed 11-18-94; 8:45 am]
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