[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3939-3940]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1914]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Major Investment Study/Environmental Impact Statement: Coryell &
Lampasas 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 a
Major Investment Study/Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/EIS) will be
prepared for a proposed highway project in the City of Copperas Cove
and Coryell and Lampasas Counties, Texas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Lubin Quinones, P.E., 826 Federal Office Building, 300 E. 8th
Street, Austin, Texas 78701 and Mr. Doug Huneycutt, P.E., Project
Manager, Texas Department of Transportation, 100 South Lop Drive, Waco,
Texas 76705.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT), will prepare a draft MIS/EIS
pursuant to a proposed roadway project intended to relieve traffic
congestion on U.S. 190 within the City of Copperas Cove and adjacent
portions of Coryell and Lampasas Counties. Improvements initially
considered included upgrading the existing facility, constructing a
reliever route on new or existing locations, and/or improving
alternative transportation modes in the community. Through input
derived from previous studies, TxDOT, the consulting study team, the
MIS Policy Work Group, and the public, 19 preliminary build
alternatives on new and existing locations were analyzed in addition to
existing U.S. 190 and alternative transportation mode improvements. The
preliminary build alternatives included three alignments located north
of U.S. 190 and 16 alignments south of U.S. 190. These alternatives
were analyzed in two phases--(1) Fatal Flaw and (2) Qualitative
Comparison/Ranking--using three basic criteria: engineering
considerations, mobility considerations, and environmental
considerations. From the 19 preliminary alternatives, three primary
build alternatives south of U.S. 190 emerged as the best potential
alternative alignments. In the MIS/EIS document, the three primary
build alternatives and the no-build alternative will be analyzed in a
more rigorous, quantitative fashion. The locations of the primary build
alternative are described below.
The primary reliever route alternatives to be considered in the
MIS/EIS lay within an eight kilometer (5 mile) long corridor located to
the south of existing U.S. 190. The corridor's eastern terminus is
located east of Copperas Cove in Coryell County and west of Rattlesnake
Hill; the corridor then proceeds southwest over Sevenmile Mountain and
terminates at U.S. 190 just west of Copperas Cove in Lampasas County
and immediately west of the U.S. 190/F.M. 2657 intersection. The
principal variations of the three alignments within the corridor are in
the segment between Sevenmile Mountain and the proposed western
terminus near F.M. 2657. Heading west, the northernmost alternative
comes off of Sevenmile Mountain, passes just north of the ``saddle''
extension of the mountain, and crosses the South Industrial Park. The
middle alternative comes off of Sevenmile Mountain, bisects the
``saddle'' and crosses the South Industrial Park. The southernmost
alternative comes off Sevenmile Mountain, and passes immediately south
of both the ``saddle'' and South Industrial Park.
At the present stage of the MIS/EIS process, no preferred
alternative has been selected. Over the course of conducting previous
studies in the city and region, the City of Copperas Cove and TxDOT
have given considerable attention to the concept of a reliever roadway
around the city to allow through traffic to bypass the frequently
congested commercial district on U.S. 190. TxDOT has performed
preliminary investigations of a new location, four lane divided freeway
with full control of access. The facility would have ramps and frontage
roads where warranted and grade separations at FM roads and other major
intersecting routes.
Major considerations in the proposal's ongoing studies include
costs of rights-of-way, the numbers and types of relocations necessary,
engineering constraints and limitations due to rough topography, and
potential environmental impacts involving land use, socioeconomic
conditions, air quality, noise, traffic, ecological/cultural resources,
and hazardous material sites. A coordination environmental assessment
was prepared and has been circulated to appropriate Federal, State, and
local agencies and to private organizations and citizens who have
expressed interest in the proposal. Public meetings have been held on
March 7, 1996, and July 18, 1996, and one more is scheduled. One public
hearing will be held after the draft MIS/EIS has been completed and
made available to the agencies and public. Other public involvement
opportunities include a MIS Policy Work Group composed of local
officials and key citizens; a hot line (1-800-742-1060) which will be
maintained for 19 months to receive public input; a MIS newsletter sent
six times on a quarterly basis to update the public on MIS/EIS progress
and the dates, times, and locations of public meetings and hearings;
and six news releases to be prepared at appropriate times during the
MIS/EIS process to inform the public about MIS/EIS status and relevant
dates, time, and locations of public meetings and hearings. In
addition, at appropriate times over the course of the MIS/EIS process,
presentations will be made to the Copperas Cove City Council, Coryell
and Lampasas Commissioners Courts, Fort Hood's Directorate of Public
Works, the Killeen-Temple Urban Transportation Study Board of Directors
and the Central Texas Council of Governments, which serves as the
region's Metropolitan Planning Organization.
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 MIS/EIS should be
directed to the FHWA or TxDOT at the address provided above.
(Catalog of Federal and 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)
[[Page 3940]]
Issued on: January 2, 1997.
C.D. Reagan,
Division Administrator, Austin, Texas.
[FR Doc. 97-1914 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
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