[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68351-68352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34043]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration
Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield 
Counties, CO

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent and public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA and FTA are jointly issuing this notice to advise the 
public that an environmental impact statement/4(f) evaluation will be 
prepared for transportation improvements in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield 
Counties, Colorado.
    Five scoping meetings will be held from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the 
following locations and dates as part of the preparation of the EIS/
4(f) evaluation:

Tuesday, February 17, 1998: Rifle City Hall, 202 Railroad Avenue, 
Rifle, CO
Wednesday, February 18, 1998: Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado 
Avenue, Carbondale, CO
Thursday, February 19, 1998: Basalt High School, 150 Cottonwood Drive, 
Basalt, CO
Monday, February 23, 1998: Garfield County Courthouse, 109 8th Street, 
Glenwood Springs, CO
Tuesday, February 24, 1998: Aspen City Hall, 130 South Galena, Aspen, 
CO

    A 45-day scoping period will begin on January 6, 1998 and conclude 
on March 2, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Kulbacki, FHWA Colorado Division, 555 Zang Street, Room 250; 
Lakewood, Colorado 80228, Telephone (303) 969-6730
Dave Beckhouse, FTA Region VIII, 216 16th Street, Suite 650; Denver, 
Colorado 80202, Telephone (303) 844-3242
Joe Tempel, Colorado Department of Transportation, 4201 East Arkansas, 
Room 212; Denver, Colorado 80222, Telephone (303) 757-9771

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA and FTA in cooperation with the 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Colorado Department of 
Transportation (CDOT) and the Roaring Fork Railroad Holding Authority 
(RFRHA) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and 
Section 4(f) evaluation on a proposal to make major transportation 
improvements in the Roaring Fork Valley from Glenwood Springs to the 
Aspen Airport, a distance of approximately 40 miles. The purpose of 
these improvements is to accommodate current and projected travel 
demands through the corridor. The proposed improvements will be 
identified in a Corridor Investment Study which will be combined with 
the EIS. At a minimum, the alternatives to be considered in the EIS/
4(f) evaluation include the following:
    (1) The No Build Alternative--This will include transportation 
improvements previously cleared.
    (2) A Transportation System Management (TSM)--This will consist of 
low cost improvements to the existing transportation system to maximize 
its capacity and efficiency.
    (3) Improved Bus Alternative--This will consist of adding 
additional buses to the existing bus system in the Roaring Fork Valley. 
HOV and Exclusive Bus Lane alternatives will be addressed.
    (4) Multimodal Alternatives--These will consist of trail, rail and 
highway improvements. Various alignments, Station locations, 
technologies and access control plans (highway and rail) will be 
assessed along the rail corridor and SH82. Transportation Demand 
Management (TDM) elements will be incorporated into all of the 
Multimodal Alternatives to maximize the efficiency of the 
transportation system. Initial scoping meetings with local agencies and 
the general public will begin in January and be completed in March 
1998. Letters will be sent to the appropriate federal, state and local 
agencies describing the proposed action and requesting comments. The 
general public will receive notices on location and time of the scoping 
meetings through newspaper advertisements and individual 
correspondence. These scoping meetings provide a forum for interaction 
between the public and government officials during the EIS/4(f) 
development. To ensure that a 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

[[Page 68352]]

proposed action and the EIS/4(f) evaluation should be directed to the 
Colorado Department of Transportation at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program)

    Issued on: December 22, 1997.
Ronald A. Speral,
Environmental/ROW Program Manager, Colorado Division, Federal Highway 
Administration, Lakewood, Colorado.
Louis F. Mraz Jr.,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region VIII, 
Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 97-34043 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M; 4910-57-M