[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 135 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36775-36776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17700]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Benton County, AR and McDonald 
County, MO

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 in Benton County, Arkansas and McDonald County, Missouri.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Wendall L. Meyer, Environment/Design Specialist, Federal Highway 
Administration, 3128 Federal Office Building, Little Rock, Arkansas 
72201-3298, Telephone: (501) 324-6430; Don Neumann, District Engineer, 
Federal Highway Administration, P.O. Box 1787, 209 Adams Street, 
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102, Telephone: (573) 636-7104; Reid Beckel, 
Consultant Coordinator, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation 
Department, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-2261, Telephone: 
(501) 569-2163; or Richard Walter, District Engineer, Missouri Highway 
and Transportation Department, 3901 East 32nd Street, P.O. Box 1445, 
Joplin, Missouri, 64802, Telephone: (417) 629-3300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Arkansas 
State Highway and Transportation Department and the Missouri Highway 
and Transportation Department, will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for a proposed improvement to U.S. 71 in Benton County, 
Arkansas and McDonald County, Missouri. The proposed improvement may 
involve the reconstruction or relocation on new alignment of U.S. 71 
from Bella Vista, Arkansas to Pineville, Missouri, a total distance of 
approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles). Information contained in the 
Final EIS for U.S. 71 improvements beginning at I-44 in Jasper County, 
Missouri and passing through Newton and McDonald Counties to existing 
U.S. 71 at the Missouri/Arkansas state line, approved by the FHWA on 
August 3, 1992, will be utilized for this EIS.
    Improvements to the corridor include improving U.S. 71 to a four-
lane, fully controlled access facility with Interstate standards to 
meet anticipated traffic demands and to improve roadway safety. 
Alternatives under consideration include relocation of U.S. 71 on new 
alignment, improving the existing facility and the no-action 
alternative.
    The proposed improvements would improve the capacity of the 
existing route and increase regional mobility along a proposed ultimate 
route extending from Kansas City, Missouri to Shreveport, Louisiana. 
This project is one of several projects identified as ``high priority 
corridors'' on the National Highway System that would provide a 
transportation corridor of national significance from Kansas City to 
Shreveport. This proposed improvement will draw new traffic through 
northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri and serve as both a short-
term and long-term economic stimulus, promoting development in this 
currently rural area. Major metropolitan areas lying along this ``high 
priority corridor'' include Kansas City, Kansas-Missouri; Joplin, 
Missouri; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Texarkana, 
Arkansas-Texas; and Shreveport, Louisiana.
    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 form all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action and EIS should be directed to 
any of the individuals at the appropriate address provided above. A 
formal scoping meeting is scheduled for July 30, 1996 at Bella Vista, 
Arkansas. Invitation letters providing details of the scoping meeting 
and describing the proposed action will be sent to appropriate Federal, 
State and local agencies. Several public meetings, including a public 
hearing, will be held during the preparation of the EIS. 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 
prior to the public hearing.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372

[[Page 36776]]

regarding intergovernmental consultation of Federal programs and 
activities apply to this program.)

    Issued on: July 3, 1996.
Wendall L. Meyer,
Environment/Design Specialist, FHWA, Little Rock, Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 96-17700 Filed 7-11-96; 8:45 am]
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