[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 4 (Friday, January 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1184-1185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-291]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Rensselaer County, NY

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 Rensselaer County, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas C. Werner, Regional Director, New York State Department of 
Transportation, Region One, 84 Holland Avenue, Albany, New York 12208, 
Telephone: (518) 474-6178.
    or
A. Graham Bailey, Acting Division Administrator, Federal Highway 
Administration, New York Division, Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building, 7th 
Floor, Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, Albany, New York 12207, 
Telephone: (518) 431-4127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA in cooperation with the New York 
State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), will be preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on a proposal to provide a new 
connector road to Interstate 90 (I-90), in Rensselaer County, New York. 
The proposed improvement would involve the construction of a new 
limited access highway that extends from the terminus of the existing 
Interstate 90 Exit 8 at Route 43 northerly on an alignment about \1/2\ 
mile west of Route 4 and curving northeasterly to an intersection with 
Route 4 in the vicinity of the Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), 
a distance of 5.1 km (3 miles). Improvements to the corridor are 
considered necessary to provide for the projected traffic demand. 
Project objectives include reducing forecast congestion and promoting 
economic development along the Route 4 corridor, supporting the land 
use goals and master plans of local communities, and improving mobility 
for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users. The project also seeks 
to establish an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) ``in situ 
laboratory facility'' on the new roadway and segments of the other 
existing area roadways.
    Alternatives under consideration include: (1) providing a new 
limited access highway from the terminus of the existing Interstate 90 
Exit 8 northerly to terminate at Route 136 (Williams Road); (2) 
providing a new limited access highway from the terminus of the 
existing Interstate 90 Exit 8 northerly to the vicinity of the Hudson 
Valley Community College (HVCC). Incorporated into and studied with the 
alternatives will be design variations of grade and alignment and 
intersection modifications.
    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 
interest in this proposal. Also planned are early coordination and 
exchanges of information meetings, direct requests to other agencies to 
become cooperating agencies, and early notification and solicitation 
with entities affected by the proposed action through the clearinghouse 
process. A series of public information meetings and public hearings 
will be held between January and December, 2001. Public notice will be 
given of the time and place of the meetings and hearings. The draft EIS 
will be available for public and agency review and comment. No

[[Page 1185]]

formal scoping meeting is planned at this time.
    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 NYSDOT or FHWA 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 Federal Programs and activities apply to this program.)


    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; U.S.C. 771.123.

    Issued on: December 18, 2000.
Douglas P. Conlan,
District Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Albany, New York.
[FR Doc. 01-291 Filed 1-4-01; 8:45 am]
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