[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 113 (Friday, June 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 32280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-15687]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Rockingham County, NH

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 (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed 
highway project in the Towns of Derry and Londonderry, in Rockingham 
County, New Hampshire.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William F. O'Donnell, P.E., 
Environmental Program Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 279 
Pleasant Street, Suite 204, Concord, New Hampshire 03301-2509, 
Telephone: (603) 225-1608. George H. Sioras, Planning Director, Town of 
Derry, 40 Fordway, Derry, New Hampshire 03038, Telephone: (603) 432-
6148 or Peter C. Lowitt, Director of Planning & Economic Development, 
Town of Londonderry, 50 Nashua Road, Londonderry, New Hampshire, 03053, 
Telephone: (603) 431-1100 X103.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Towns of 
Derry and Londonderry, will prepare an EIS for a proposed highway 
project to improve access to and from Interstate 93 (I-93) and the 
Towns served by NH Route 102, especially Derry and Londonderry. The 
project shall study alternative access routes to the Interstate system 
for through traffic along NH Route 102, including the possibility of a 
new interchange in the vicinity of Exit 4 and the necessary road 
networks to connect the new interchange to the highway system east and/
or west of I-93. Consideration of upgrading existing roadways within 
the study area, as alternative means of meeting the area's 
transportation requirements, will also be addressed. Other potential 
alternative solutions to be studied include: taking no action, applying 
transportation systems management (TSM) improvements to selected 
locations on existing roads, transportation demand management (TDM), 
including mass transit, and combinations of these alternatives. Various 
designs of grade, alignment, geometry and access will be evaluated.
    Citizens Advisory Task Force (CATF) consisting of local officials 
and citizens, NHDOT and FHWA will be established to explore and 
evaluate transportation alternatives and to evaluate project input as 
this study progresses.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting scoping 
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, state and local agencies, 
and to private organizations who have an interest in this proposal. 
They will also be invited to a formal scoping meeting. Public 
information, community and CATF meetings will be held in the study area 
as the project progresses to consider public input in the planning 
process. A public hearing will be held following distribution of the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Public notice will be 
given regarding the time and location of this hearing. The DEIS will be 
available for review and comment by the public and interested agencies.
    The formal scoping meeting will be held at the West Running Brook 
Middle School in Derry, New Hampshire on July 30, 1998 in separate 
sessions, the first beginning at 2:00 p.m., and the second beginning at 
7:00 to: (1) confirm the limits of the project study area, (2) help 
establish the study framework and the impacts to be analyzed, and (3) 
help to define a reasonable range of alternatives to be considered. 
Study area resources to be analyzed include the natural environment 
(such as farmland, wetlands, water resources and wildlife habitat), the 
social environment (such as land use, economic and residential 
development, noise and community facilities), the cultural environment 
(historic and archaeological resources), secondary impacts and the 
transportation network. Agencies to be invited to be cooperating 
agencies are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the New Hampshire Department of 
Transportation (NHDOT), the New Hampshire Division of Historic 
Resources (NHDHR), and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental 
Services (NHDES).
    Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties to 
ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action is 
addressed and all significant issues are identified. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action should be addressed to the 
FHWA, the Town of Derry or the Town of Londonderry at the addresses 
provided above.

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

    Issued on June 5, 1998.
Kathleen O. Laffey,
Division Administrator, Concord, New Hampshire.
[FR Doc. 98-15687 Filed 6-11-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M