[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21193-21194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10539]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: King County, Washington

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice Of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice of intent to advise the public 
that an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for a proposed 
highway project in King County, Washington northeast of the city of 
North Bend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Peters, Design Operations 
Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 610 East Fifth Street, 
Vancouver, Washington 98661, telephone (360) 696-7700.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in partnership with the U.S. 
Forest Service, Washington Department of Transportation and King 
County, Washington, will prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) on a proposal to improve Washington Forest Highway 29 locally 
known as the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road or Lake Dorothy Road. 
Forest Highway 29 begins at Interstate 90 (M.P. 34) and terminates at 
the Middle Fork--Taylor River Trailhead. The entire Forest Highway 
route is 12.1 miles. The proposed project will improve the uppermost 
10.74 miles.
    The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Road is the gateway to 109,000 
acres of National Forest land and a primary access point for the Alpine 
Lake Wilderness. The road is located in the eastern half of King 
County, less than an hour drive from the population in the Seattle 
area. There is high recreational usage along this route which must 
accommodate a diverse mix of users including bicyclists, pedestrians, 
cars, recreational vehicles, timber haulers and trucks.
    The existing road is paved for the first 1.3 miles with the 
remaining portion being gravel. Roadway widths vary from 15 to 28 feet 
and are not safe to accommodate the mix and volume of traffic. In 
addition to narrowness, the road surface ruts and potholes badly during 
winter months causing unsafe and erratic driving conditions. The 
present road surface is nearly unbladable for maintenance because of 
the absence of cushion and graded aggregate. The road also is deficient 
in drainage causing silt laden runoff to empty directly into surface 
waters. The overall purpose of the proposed project is to improve the 
physical conditions and safety features of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie 
River Road for the existing and projected traffic demand, while 
minimizing adverse impacts to sensitive environmental resources.
    Project objectives will be based on the needs developed during the 
scoping process. All improvements must be consistent with the 
applicable guidelines from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Forest Plan, the 
Middle Fork Snoqualmie Access/Travel Plan, King County plans and 
ordinances, Washington state regulations and federal regulations.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1) taking no action; (2) 
improving the existing two lane road to meet the appropriate Washington 
state design criteria; (3) improving the existing two lane road to meet 
the appropriate American Association of State Highway and 
Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design criteria; (4) other 
alternatives that maybe developed during the NEPA process.
    Notices 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. Based in part on data collected and comments 
received, FHWA has determined that it will prepare an EIS on the 
proposed project. Comments previously received will be utilized during 
the EIS process. Additional interagency and public scoping activities 
will be conducted. The time and place of the public scoping activities 
will be provided in the local news media and by notice to individuals 
and agencies that have expressed interest in the proposal. The draft 
EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment. 
Schedules for these activities will be distributed when available this 
summer.
    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. Previous 
comments received by FHWA have identified a number of issues such as 
impacts to private landowners, water quality, wetlands and wildlife, as 
well as slope stability, tree removal and parking along the roadway. 
Comments or questions concerning this proposed

[[Page 21194]]

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 Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program.)

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48.

Ronald W. Carmichael,
Division Engineer, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 01-10539 Filed 4-26-01; 8:45 am]
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