[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 18, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45012-45013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21373]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Jefferson, Chambers, and 
Galveston 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 highway 
project in Jefferson, Chambers, and Galveston Counties, Texas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Mack, District Engineer, 
Federal Highway Administration, 826 Federal Office Building, 300 E. 8th 
Street, Austin, Texas 78701, Telephone: (512) 916-5516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Texas 
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Jefferson County, will prepare 
an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to reconstruct 
State Highway 87 (SH 87) within a corridor between Sea Rim State park 
and High Island, a distance of approximately 17 miles, in Jefferson, 
Chambers and Galveston Countries, Texas. Improvements to the facility 
are considered necessary after this section of SH 87 was closed to 
through traffic after it was extensively damaged by Hurricane Jerry in 
October 1989. This proposed project would restore the roadway 
connection between the two communities of Sabine Pass and High Island 
as well as provide improved access to the area beaches and wildlife 
refuges.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1) Taking no action; and 
(2) constructing a roadway on one of several proposed new alignments at 
more inland locations. Jefferson Country initiated environmental 
studies while

[[Page 45013]]

applying for a Section 404 permit for a roadway easement through the 
McFaddin National Wildlife Refugee in 1997. This resulted in a 
determination by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that an EIS should be 
prepared. The project study limits for the EIS are from the northward 
turn of SH 87 in Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, to SH 124 in High 
Island, Galveston County. A section of SH 87 presently exists within 
these study limits for a distance of about 15 miles from Sabine Pass to 
approximately three miles west of Sea Rim State Park. The existing 
roadway is an undivided two-lane highway.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are 
known to have an interested in this proposal. A scoping meeting to 
discuss the proposed SH 87 project, as well as, other public meetings 
and a public hearing will be held. Public notice will be given of the 
time and place of the meetings and 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 this proposed 
action are addressed, and all significant issues identified, comments 
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning the proposed action and the EIS should be directed 
to the FHWA 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 that apply to this program.)
John Mack,
District Engineer, Austin, Texas.
[FR Doc. 99-21373 Filed 8-17-99; 8:45 am]
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