[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 230 (Tuesday, December 1, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 66225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-31872]



[[Page 66225]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Caldwell and Guadalupe 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 an 
Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed new 
location highway/tollway project in Caldwell and Guadalupe Counties, 
Texas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Walter C. Waidelich, District Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 
Room 850, Federal Building, 300 East 8th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. 
David Kopp, P.E., Texas Turnpike Authority Division, Texas Department 
of Transportation, 125 E. 11th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-2483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: State Highway 130, as currently envisioned, 
is a proposed controlled access highway which will extend from IH 35 at 
State Highway 195 north or Georgetown in Williamson County, Texas, to 
IH 10 near Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas. State Highway 130 will be 
located generally parallel to and east of Interstate Highway 35 and the 
urban areas of Austin, San Marcos, and New Braunfels. The total length 
of the proposed facility is 143.5 kilometers (89 miles). The proposed 
State Highway 130 facility is being developed by the FHWA in 
cooperation with the Texas Turnpike Authority Division (TTA) of the 
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). It is being developed in 
three projects with each project having logical termini and independent 
utility. FHWA and TTA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
for each of the three independent projects.
    This Notice of Intent (NOI) focuses on the southern project, 
Segment C, of State Highway 130. As announced herein, the FHWA in 
cooperation with TTA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on 
a proposal to construct Segment C of State Highway 130. Segment C of 
proposed State Highway 130 extends from the junctions of US Highway 183 
and Farm-to-Market Road 1185 north of Lockhart in Caldwell County, 
Texas, to Interstate Highway 10 near Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas. 
The length of Segment C varies depending on the alternative selected. 
The proposed action is intended to relieve congestion on Interstate 35 
by providing an alternative route for those who commute between the 
metropolitan areas of Austin or San Antonio and surrounding areas as 
well as drivers desiring to bypass Austin and other central Texas 
cities located along the heavily traveled Interstate 35 corridor. The 
proposed action will also provide improved access and increased 
mobility to urbanized areas in the proposed corridor; help support 
planned business and residential growth in various areas throughout the 
project corridor; and provide needed freeway access from surrounding 
areas to the proposed Austin Bergstrom International Airport.
    A Major Investment Study, addressing the entire length of the 
proposed State Highway 130, was endorsed in July 1997 by the Austin 
Transportation Study Policy Advisory Committee, the metropolitan 
planning organization for the Austin, Texas area.
    The proposed Segment C facility is being developed as a candidate 
toll road; thus, in conjunction with the EIS and selection of a 
preferred alternative, the TTA will conduct a toll feasibility study to 
evaluate the ability of developing the selected alternative as a toll 
road and financing it, in whole or part, through the issuance of 
revenue bonds. The toll road designation will not influence the 
selection of a preferred alternative. Proposed alternatives, including 
alternative alignments, will be evaluated for how well they meet the 
stated purpose and need for the proposed project. Any impacts owing to 
the toll road designation will be discussed in the environmental impact 
statement.
    The draft EIS for Segment C will address a build alternative 
including multiple alternative alignments. Alternatives to the proposed 
action, which will also be discussed in the EIS, will include (1) 
taking no action, or the ``no build'' alternative, and (2) improving 
existing roadways in the project area. The build alternatives include 
multiple alternative alignments along new location and existing highway 
rights-of-way within the Segment C project limits.
    Impacts caused by the construction and operation of Segment C of 
State Highway 130 will vary according to the alternative alignment 
utilized. Generally, impacts would include the following: 
transportation impacts (construction detours, construction traffic, and 
mobility improvement); air and noise impacts from construction and 
operation of the roadway; water quality impacts from construction 
activities and roadway storm water runoff; impacts to waters of the 
United States including wetlands from right-of-way encroachment; and 
impacts to residences and businesses.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have 
been sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed 
interest in the proposal. Public meetings for the Segment C project 
were held in June and September 1997 in Seguin, Texas and in June and 
September 1997 in Lockhart, Texas. At these meetings, public comments 
on the proposed action and alternatives were requested.
    In continuation of the scoping process for Segment C of State 
Highway 130, an additional set of public meetings has been scheduled. 
These meetings will be held on Wednesday, December 2, 1998, at the 
Sequin Coliseum, 810 South Guadalupe Street, Sequin, Texas, and on 
Tuesday, December 8, 1998, in the cafeteria of Plum Creek Elementary 
School, 710 Flores Street, Lockhart, Texas. Two meeting are planned for 
the convenience of those wishing to attend. TTA, and its consultants, 
will present the same information at each meeting. From 6:00 to 7:00 
pm, displays showing the preliminary alternative corridors will be 
available for review. During this period, TTA staff will be available 
to answer questions. Beginning at 7:00 pm, a formal presentation of the 
project will be made and will be followed by a public comment period. 
All interested persons are encouraged to attend one or both of these 
public meetings.
    A public hearing will be held for the Segment C project subsequent 
to publication of the Draft EIS. Public notice will be given of the 
time and place of the hearing. The Draft EIS will be available for 
public and agency review and comment prior to the public hearing.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to proposed Segment 
C of State Highway 130 are addressed and all significant issues 
identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all parties. 
Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS 
should be directed to the FHWA or TTA at the addresses provided above.

(Catalog of Federal 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.)

    Issued on: November 18, 1998.
Walter C. Waidelich,
District Engineer, Austin, Texas.
[FR Doc. 98-31872 Filed 11-30-98; 8:45 am]
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