[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 157 (Friday, August 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43739-43740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21892]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Washington and Benton Counties, 
Arkansas

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 Washington and Benton Counties, Arkansas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth Romero, Environmental Specialist, Federal Highway 
Administration, 3128 Federal Office Building, Little Rock, Arkansas 
72201-3298, Telephone: (501) 324-6430; or Brenda Price, Environmental 
Scientist, Environmental Division, Arkansas State Highway and 
Transportation Department, Post Office Box 2261, Little Rock, Arkansas 
72203, Telephone (501) 569-2281.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the

[[Page 43740]]

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal for an improved 
transportation facility in the Springdale vicinity. The proposal 
includes several alternatives based on new location corridors and 
varying termini as well as reconstructing the existing. The approximate 
length is 27 kilometers (17 miles). This facility would serve northern 
Washington County and southern Benton County, including Springdale, 
Tontitown, Bethel Heights, Elm Springs, and Lowell. It will also 
provide improved access to the Northwest Regional Airport.
    The proposed improvements would improve the capacity of the 
existing route and increase regional mobility along a proposed ultimate 
east-west route extending from Missouri to Oklahoma. A new location 
alternative facility would bypass the rapidly growing urban center of 
Springdale, with its subsequent traffic congestion. The eastern 
terminus of the proposed improvements will connect to the five-lane 
U.S. 412 currently under construction just east of Springdale. The 
western terminus will connect to the existing five-lane U.S. 412 west 
of Tontitown.
    There are no east-west arterials north of existing U.S. Highway 412 
across northern Washington County or southern Benton County. The 
increased development in the area necessitate the prompt identification 
of the facility alignment so that right-of-way may be preserved.
    Alternatives to be considered are:
    1. The ``Do-Nothing'' Alternative where roads are constructed 
according to the regional plans with the exception of the proposed 
facility;
    2. The ``Reconstruction'' Alternative where roads on the regional 
plan are upgraded to handle traffic forecast for the proposed facility, 
but with less than full control of access;
    3. The ``New Location'' Alternative, considering several different 
alignments and full control of access.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate federal, state and local agencies and to private 
organizations, including conservation groups and groups of individuals 
who have expressed interest in the project in the past and to major 
Arkansas newspapers. A series of public involvement sessions will be 
held in the areas to be affected. In addition, a public hearing(s) and 
a formal scoping meeting(s) will be held. Dates and locations for the 
meetings will be determined as the project progresses. Public notice 
will be given of the time and place of the meetings. The draft EIS will 
be available for public and agency review and comments prior to the 
public hearing.
    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 EIS should be 
directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistant Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation of 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)
Elizabeth Romero,
Environmental Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, Little Rock, 
Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 98-21892 Filed 8-13-98; 8:45 am]
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