[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 69 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17644-17645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8958]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent to Prepare a Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation 
(NHDOT) Circumferential Highway Project--Nashua, Hudson, Litchfield, 
and Merrimack, New Hampshire

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The New England District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
announces its intent to prepare a Supplement to the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (SEIS) for the New Hampshire Department of 
Transportation (NHDOT) Circumferential Highway Project-Nashua, Hudson, 
Litchfield, and Merrimack, New Hampshire. The Corps of Engineers will 
be evaluating a permit application for the proposed work under section 
404 of the Clean Water Act.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and the SEIS should be addressed to Mr. Frank DelGiudice, Senior 
Project Manager, New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Phone: (978) 318-8832.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. The Nashua-Hudson region of southern New Hampshire is 
experiencing rapid population and economic growth which necessitates 
the expansion of the region's transportation system. The construction 
of a By-Pass Highway around Nashua's northeast quadrant is proposed to 
provide relief for existing and projected highway capacity deficiencies 
and to enhance traffic flow in the area. Various social, economic, and 
environmental impacts will occur and were documented for a Full Build 
Circumferential Highway in the Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) published in October 1993. The applicant is proposing to proceed 
with a Partial Build including the northern segment from NH route 111 
in the Town of Hudson northerly and westerly to an improved section of 
the FE Everett Turnpike in the Town of Merrimack. The Army Corps of 
Engineers will have to decide whether and under what circumstances to 
grant a Federal permit for the proposed Partial Build work. Therefore 
we have decided to prepare an SEIS to aid in agency decision making and 
to assure compliance with the National

[[Page 17645]]

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Evaluation and documentation of 
impacts to historic, archaeological, public park, and recreation areas 
will be prepared in conformance with Section 4(f) of the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Act.
    2. That FEIS did not completely document impacts of a Partial 
Build, therefore a Supplement to the FEIS will be prepared to insure 
major issues associated with the Partial Build alternative have been 
identified. Due to the time elapsed since release of the FEIS, 
potential changes in transportation patterns and existing environmental 
conditions, the SEIS will include updates to the existing conditions 
information contained in the FEIS.
    3. Proposed Action: The Partial Build project proposed by the 
applicant is a 7.50 mile long section of the previously studied 12 mile 
long 4-lane limited access circumferential highway. It is to be built 
on a new alignment located primarily easterly and northerly of the City 
of Nashua forming an arc around the central business districts of 
Nashua and Hudson. As documented in the FEIS, Alternative 9 was defined 
for the Full Build which was a combination of sections of other 
alternatives. The proposed Partial Build of Alternative 9 begins at NH 
Route 111 in the center of Hudson running northerly and then westerly 
through Litchfield, crossing the Merrimack River and returning to the 
FE Everett Turnpike at a new Exit 9 in Merrimack. The interchange at 
Exit 9 will include improvements to the FE Everett Turnpike in that 
section. The purpose of the proposed Partial Build is to add a new 
crossing of the Merrimack River north of the existing crossings 
connecting Nashua and Hudson to assist east-west traffic movements in 
the central and northern greater Nashua region. Should other reasonable 
and practicable alternatives arise out of the scoping process they too 
will be evaluated.
    4. Alternatives: In the FEIS various alternative alignments were 
considered to reduce traffic in the region, particularly in the Central 
Business Districts of Nashua and Hudson. In addition to these 
alignments, No Action and Transportation System Management/
Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM) alternatives were 
considered. Based on the consideration of the impacts presented and 
public input, Alternative 9 was defined for the Full Build which was a 
combination of other alternatives. The FEIS information separated the 
highway into a southern and northern segment.
    a. The Southern Segment: A 0.75 mile section of the Southern 
Segment is currently being constructed as a connection from NH Route 3-
A in southern Hudson to the new Exit 2 of the FE Everett Turnpike in 
southern Nashua. The remainder of the Southern Segment from NH Route 3-
A to NH Route 111 is not being proposed as part of the project.
    b. The Northern Segment: A 7.5 mile section from NH Route 111 in 
Hudson northerly and westerly to the FE Everett Turnpike in Merrimack 
has been defined which consists of four linked sections that have 
individual as well as additive benefits. The sections are: (1) From the 
FE Everett Turnpike, proposed Exit 9 southerly and easterly to US Route 
3, Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack; (2) from US Route 3, DW Highway 
in Merrimack, crossing the Merrimack River, easterly to NH Route 3-A in 
Litchfield; (3) from NH Route 3-A easterly to NH Route 102 in 
Litchfield; and (4) from NH Route 3-A in Litchfield southerly to NH 
Route 111 in Hudson.
    c. No Action Alternative: Under the No Action Alternative, the 
traffic will continue to use the existing street and highway network.
    d. The TSM/TDM Alternative: The purpose of studying the TSM/TDM 
alternative in the FEIS was to encourage maximum utilization and energy 
efficiency of the existing transportation system. Many projects have 
been implemented in the region for purposes of TSM and TDM 
improvements.
5. Scoping process:
    a. Public meetings were conducted during the period of June 1990 to 
July 1992 introducing the Full Build project and soliciting comments. 
The Corps of Engineers has held a preliminary coordination meeting with 
Federal and State agencies to identify issues of concern to be studied 
in the SEIS.
    b. The opportunity for public comment will occur at three times 
during the SEIS process. The first set of public meetings will be the 
Scoping/Kick-off Meeting Workshops held in each impacted municipality 
in May 1999. The second opportunity will be at Public Informational 
workshops held in each municipality for purposes of informal comment on 
the Draft SEIS in the fall 1999. The third opportunity will be at the 
Public Hearing held by the Corps of Engineers immediately following the 
Public Informational Workshops in the fall of 1999.
    c. It is anticipated that the following agencies will continue to 
accept Cooperating Agency status for the SEIS study:
    (1) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    (2) U.S. Department of Interior--Fish and Wildlife Service.
    (3) U.S. Department of Transportation--Federal Highway 
Administration.
    (4) U.S. Department of Agriculture--Natural Resource Conservation 
Service.
    d. The SEIS will analyze the potential social, economic, and 
environmental impacts to the region resulting from the proposed Partial 
Build. The study will include analysis of the updated existing traffic 
conditions and projections of the Partial Build and related impacts to 
air quality, noise, water quality, and wetlands. Construction and 
operational phase impacts of the four sections will be considered as 
well as cumulative and secondary impact. The SEIS will include the 
evaluation and documentation of impacts to historic, archeological, 
public park, and recreation areas will be prepared in conformance with 
Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act.
    6. Scoping Kick-off Meetings: The Corps of Engineers in 
coordination with NHDOT plans to hold four individual Scoping Kick-off 
Meeting Workshops in each of the affected municipalities. These 
workshops will be conducted with an open forum format and held at the 
following locations from 4:00 to 8:00 PM:
    a. Tuesday, May 4, 1999--Griffen Memorial School, Litchfield, NH.
    b. Thursday, May 6, 1999--Town Hall Court Room, Merrimack, NH.
    c. Tuesday, May 11, 1999--Alvirne High School, Hudson, NH.
    d. Thursday, May 13, 1999--City Hall Auditorium, Nashua, NH.
    All interested agencies, organizations and publics are invited to 
attend this meeting. Sufficient local notification will be provided.
    7. Availability: It is anticipated that the Draft SEIS would be 
made available for review in October 1999. The Final SEIS on this 
permit action is anticipated in late 1999.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-8958 Filed 4-9-99; 8:45 am]
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