[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 92 (Friday, May 10, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21527-21528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11657]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration


Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Lane County, Oregon

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to supplement a final environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise all concerned that a 
supplement to the final environmental impact statement will be prepared 
for the West 11th Street-Garfield Street, Florence-Eugene Highway 
(known locally as the West Eugene Parkway) in Lane County, Oregon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elton Chang, Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 
530 Center Street N.E., Room 100, Salem, Oregon, 97301, Telephone: 
(503) 399-5749, Fax (503) 399-5838.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Oregon 
Department of Transportation and the City of Eugene Public Works 
Department will prepare a supplement to the final environmental impact 
statement (FEIS) on the proposal to construct an approximately 9.3 
kilometers (5.8 miles) east-west thoroughfare as an extension of the 
6th and 7th couplet on a new alignment in the City of Eugene. The 
original FEIS (FHWA-OR-EIS-85-05-F) for this roadway was approved on 
November 20, 1989 and the Record of Decision (ROD) signed on April 4, 
1990. The final EIS followed a draft EIS dated October 3, 1985 and a 
supplemental draft EIS dated June 5, 1986. All three environmental 
documents were reviewed by the public and interested agencies. The new 
roadway would start in the east at Garfield Street and the 6th and 7th 
Streets couplet near Highway 99W and terminate in the west with a 
connection to Route 126 approximately 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) west 
of the Oak Hill railroad overpass in Lane County, Oregon. In general, 
the new roadway would have four 3.6-meter (12-foot) wide travel lanes 
and a parkway-type design that would include a 4.3-meter (14-foot) wide 
landscaped median with 1.2-meter (4-foot) inside shoulders for both 
roadways, and 2.4-meter (8-foot) wide shoulder/bike lanes on the

[[Page 21528]]

outside of the travel lanes. This roadway is an important linkage 
between Highway 126 in the west and I-105/I-5 in east Eugene. The need 
for an east-west limited access thoroughfare has been documented in 
land use and transportation plans since 1959 to serve the existing and 
projected traffic demand resulting from the growth projected in the 
industrial development of west Eugene. In addition, the parkway would 
serve the growth in residential development in the Bethel-Danebo 
Neighborhood to the north of the proposed roadway. Since the approval 
of the final EIS and the selection of Alternative 1 (Modified) for 
design and the signing of the ROD in 1990, additional coordination and 
consultation have been done with environmental agencies to avoid and 
minimize project impacts to rare, threatened and endangered species and 
their habitats found in the project area. As a result of this 
consultation, a design modification has been proposed for the western 
5.2 kilometers (3.25 miles) of the adopted project (slightly east of 
Terry Street to Highway 126). The approved design for the West Eugene 
Parkway (WEP) that was south of and parallel to the Southern Pacific 
railroad line is proposed to be shifted north of and parallel to the 
railroad. Initial analysis (October 1994) of the northern design option 
has found that there would be less direct impacts on the Willamette 
Valley wet prairie wetlands, a rare habitat type, and the direct 
impacts to the Western pond turtles, a sensitive species, would be 
eliminated.
    In addition, recent traffic analysis from the City of Eugene has 
shown that projected traffic for local streets, Highway 99W and the 
eastern portion of the WEP can best be served by a minor design 
modification in the intersection with Highway 99W and the approved 
project. The northbound 99W connection to the westbound new WEP is now 
proposed to be made by an elevated structure rather than at grade to 
maintain an acceptable level-of-service. These two minor design 
modifications are being proposed to the approved project to further 
reduce the impacts found in the final EIS. The impacts of the 
modifications will be examined in greater detail in the proposed 
supplemental EIS.
    Newsletters 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 or are 
known to have an interest in this proposal. Two public meetings will be 
held in Eugene during May/June, 1996 to identify issues that should be 
addressed and an additional meeting will be held during the summer to 
describe preliminary findings of the technical studies. In addition, a 
public hearing will be held following the distribution of the draft 
supplemental EIS for public and agency review. Public notice will be 
given of the times and places of all meetings and hearings. No formal 
scoping meeting will be held. 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 supplemental EIS should be directed to the FHWA at the 
address 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: May 1, 1996.
Elton Chang,
Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 96-11657 Filed 5-9-96; 8:45 am]
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