[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44564-44565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-18065]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; King County, Washington

AGENCIES: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit 
Administration (FTA), Department of Transportation.

ACTION:  Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA and FTA, in cooperation with Sound Transit (ST) and 
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) are issuing this 
notice to advise the public, affected Indian tribes and agencies that 
an environmental impact statement (EIS) will be prepared for 
improvements within the SR 520 corridor from Seattle to Redmond in King 
County, Washington. High capacity transit (HCT) alternatives across 
Lake Washington, including the SR 520 and I-90 corridors, will also be 
considered at a programmatic level.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James A. Leonard, Federal Highway 
Administration, 711 South Capitol Way, Suite 501, Olympia, Washington 
98501-1284, Telephone: (360) 753-9408; Jennifer Bowman, Federal Transit 
Administration, 915 2nd Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98174, Telephone: 
(206) 220-7954; Rob Fellows, Washington State Department of 
Transportation, Office of Urban Mobility, 401 Second Avenue South, 
Suite 301, Seattle, Washington 98104-2887, Telephone (206) 464-6234; 
Barb Gilliland, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, 
Washington 98104-2826, Telephone (206) 398-5051; or see website at 
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/translake

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed action is to 
improve mobility for people and goods across Lake Washington within the 
SR 520 corridor from Seattle to Redmond to address the following needs 
in the corridor. Land uses and transportation systems are not 
integrated in their planning and implementation; the transportation 
system suffers from extensive congestion; reliability and safety of the 
system are impaired; and neighborhoods, business centers and the 
environment are negatively impacted by high traffic volumes.
    Alternatives under initial consideration include: (1) No action; 
(2) maintain SR 520 as four lanes, but improve access, operation, and 
safety; (3) add one HOV lane in each direction; (4) add one HOV lane 
and high-capacity transit in each direction; (5) add one HOV lane and 
one general purpose lane in each direction; and (6) add one HOV lane, 
high-capacity transit, and one general purpose lane in each direction. 
Each ``build'' alternative will also include Transportation System 
Management (TSM) measures, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) 
measures, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and environmental and 
neighborhood mitigation and enhancement measures. HCT alternatives 
across Lake Washington, including the SR 520 and I-90 corridors, will 
also be considered at a programmatic level.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments on 
the scope of the EIS will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and 
local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and to organizations and 
citizens who have previously expressed or are known to have interest in 
this proposal. A public hearing will be held and notice will be given 
of the time and place of the hearing. A series of agency and public 
scoping meetings are scheduled to be held during July 2000. (See below 
for details.)
    Each public scoping meeting will consist of an informal open house 
setting from 5-7 p.m. and a formal meeting format beginning at 7 p.m. 
The formal meeting will begin with a short presentation, after which, 
comments will be received in the group forum. A court reporter will be 
available to record oral comments in an informal one-on-one setting, 
for the open house, and will also record the formal meeting and 
comments from individuals in the group setting.
    Comments may be made at one of the following public scoping 
meetings.
     Tuesday, July 18, 2000 at the Museum of History and 
Industry, 2700 24th Ave. East, Seattle, WA
     Wednesday, July 19, 2000 at Medina Elementary School, 8001 
NE 8th Street, Medina, WA
     Thursday, July 20, 2000 at North Bellevue Community/Senior 
Center, 4063 148th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA
    In addition, a scoping meeting for governmental agencies and tribes 
will be held on July 12, 2000 at 9 a.m. at the Museum of History and 
Industry, 2700 24th Ave. East, Seattle, WA. A second

[[Page 44565]]

agency scoping meeting will be held on July 26, 2000 at 9 a.m. at the 
WSDOT Office of Urban Mobility, 401 Second Avenue S., Suite 300, 
Seattle, WA.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified, 
comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. 
Comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be considered are 
requested by August 3, 2000 and should be sent to: Rob Fellows, WSDOT 
Office of Urban Mobility, 401 Second Avenue South, Suite 300, Seattle, 
WA 98104-2887; fax number (206) 464-6084; or e-mail to 
[email protected].


(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: July 10, 2000.
Helen M. Knoll,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region 10.
James A. Leonard,
Transportation and Environmental Engineer, Federal Highways 
Administration, Washington Division.
[FR Doc. 00-18065 Filed 7-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M