[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66173-66174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32861]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Roanoke, Franklin and Henry 
Counties, Virginia

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a draft environmental impact statement 
will be prepared for a proposed highway project in the counties of 
Roanoke, Franklin and Henry in Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Turner, Planning and Environment 
Program Manager, Federal Highway Administration, The Dale Building, 
Suite 205, 1504 Santa Rosa Road, Richmond, Virginia 23229, Telephone 
804-281-5111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Virginia 
Department of Transportation (VDOT), will prepare an Environment Impact 
Statement (EIS) to identify a location for a future Interstate (I-73) 
in Roanoke, Franklin and Henry counties, Virginia. The project would 
involve the location an construction of a new four-lane interstate 
facility, interchanges, and redesign and construction of local access 
roads and roadway systems between Roanoke, Virginia to a point south of 
Martinsville, Virginia in the vicinity of the Virginia/North Carolina 
border for a total distance of approximately 70 miles.
    Improvements to the corridor are considered necessary to provide 
for existing and future traffic demand, to reduce accidents and improve 
safety in the existing U.S. Route 220 corridor, and to provide a 
portion of new interstate in accordance with the Intermodal Surface 
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) passed by the United States 
Congress in 1991. ISTEA identified I-73 as a highway corridor of 
national significance and directed the corridor be included on the 
National Highway System. Congress defined I-73 as a north-south 
corridor from Charleston, South Carolina to Detroit, Michigan that 
would pass through Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Portsmouth, Ohio, and 
Cincinnati, Ohio. Also included in the this proposal is the redesign 
and reconstruction of affected service roads and local access, 
including the identification of potential interchange locations along 
the corridor. Alternatives under consideration include: (1) taking no 
action (no build); (2) transportation system management (improvement to 
the existing roadway network) and/or intelligent transportation system 
methods and techniques; (3) widening the existing U.S. 220 highway to a 
four-lane, limited access highway; and (4) construction of a new four-
lane, limited access highway on new location.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, private 
organizations, and citizens who have previously expressed or are known 
to have an interest in this proposal. A series of public meetings will 
be held between now and December 1999. In addition, public hearings 
will be held. Public notices 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 hearings.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified, 
comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. 
Comments or questions concerning the proposed action and the draft EIS 
should be directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning

[[Page 66174]]

and Construction. The regulations implementing Executive Order 12372 
regarding intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and 
activities apply to this proposed action.)

    Issued On: December 8, 1997.
Edward S. Sundra,
Environmental/Air Quality Engineer, Richmond, Virginia.
[FR Doc. 97-32861 Filed 12-16-97; 8:45 am]
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