[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3021-3022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-787]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Environmental Impact Statement: Williamson and Travis Counties, 
Texas

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 new 
location highway project in Williamson and Travis Counties, Texas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
John Mack, P.E., Federal Highway Administration, Room 850, Federal 
Building, 300 East 8th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Sharon Barta, P.E., 
Advanced Project Development Engineer, Texas Department of 
Transportation, P.O. Box 15426, Austin, Texas 78761-5426.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Texas 
Department of Transportation (TxDOT), will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to construct the northern segment 
of State Highway 130, an approximately 138.4 kilometer (86 mile) 
controlled access highway to be located parallel to and east of 
Interstate 35 and the urbanized areas Austin, San Marcos, and New 
Braunfels in Central Texas. The northern segment (Segment A) of the 
proposed State Highway 130 extends from the junction of Interstate 35 
and State Highway 195 north of Georgetown in Williamson County, Texas, 
to U.S. Highway 290 east of Austin in Travis County, Texas. The length 
of the project varies, depending on the selected alternative, from 
approximately 43.5 kilometers (27.0 miles) to 45.9 kilometers (28.5 
miles). The proposed action is intended to provide improved access and 
increased mobility to urbanized areas in the proposed corridor; help 
support planned business and residential growth in various areas 
throughout the project corridor; provide needed freeway access from 
surrounding areas to the proposed Austin Bergstrom International 
Airport; provide an alternative route to drivers desiring to bypass the 
central business areas of Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, San Marcos, 
and New Braunfels, thereby relieving existing congestion on Interstate 
35.
    Alternatives to the proposed action to be discussed in the EIS 
consist of (1) taking no action; and (2) improving existing roadways in 
the urbanized areas of Williamson and Travis Counties. The build 
alternatives include multiple alternative alignments along new location 
rights-of-way connecting Interstate 35 to U.S. Highway 290.
    Impacts caused by the construction and operation of State Highway 
130 will vary according to the alternative alignments utilized. 
Generally, impacts would include the following: Transportation impacts 
(construction detours, construction traffic, and mobility improvement); 
air and noise impacts from construction equipment and operation of the 
roadway; water quality impacts from construction areas and roadway 
stormwater runoff; impacts to waters of the United States including 
wetlands from right-of-way encroachment; and impacts to residents and 
businesses due to potential relocations.
    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 the proposal. A Major Investment Study is being completed 
in compliance with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency 
Act. Public meetings were held on October 25, 1994, at Everett Williams 
Elementary School in Georgetown, Texas, and on October 27, 1994, at 
Manor High School in Manor, Texas, at which public comments on the 
proposed action and alternatives were requested. In addition, a public 
hearing will be held after publication of the Draft EIS. Public notice 
will be given of the time and place of the hearing. The Draft EIS will 
be available for public and agency review and comment prior to the 
public hearing.
    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 
[[Page 3022]] directed to the FHWA or TxDOT at the addressed 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].

    Issued on January 5, 1995.
G. E. Olvera,
District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 95-787 Filed 1-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M