[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 129 (Thursday, July 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35497-35498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-16831]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Bellevue, King County, WA; 
Cancellation of Notice of Intent

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised cancellation of notice of intent (FR document 97-13308; 
Filed 5-20-97).

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this revised notice to rescind the 
previous Notice of Intent issued on May 9, 1997 (appeared in the 
Federal Register on May 21, 1997), to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for the proposed highway project in Bellevue, King 
County, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Mathis, Federal Highway 
Administration, Evergreen Plaza Building, Suite 501, 711 South Capitol 
Way, Olympia, Washington, 98501-1284, Telephone: (360) 753-9413; John 
Okamoto, WSDOT Northwest Region Administrator, 15700 Dayton Avenue 
North, P.O. Box 330310, Seattle,

[[Page 35498]]

Washington 98133-9710, Telephone: (206) 440-4691, or Len Pavelka, City 
of Bellevue Senior Transportation Planner, PO Box 90012, Bellevue, 
Washington 98009-9012 (425) 452-2035.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, with the co-lead agencies of the 
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the city of 
Bellevue, issued a Notice of Intent on May 9, 1997 to prepare an EIS on 
a proposal to provide additional eastbound and westbound access to SR 
520 between Interstate 405 and 148th Avenue NE in Bellevue, Washington.
    Following an alternative screening process, the Bellevue City 
Council acted on October 23, 2000 upon a recommendation by the project 
Interdisciplinary team and confirmed the selection of the ``No Action'' 
alternative as the preferred alternative for this project. Further work 
on the EIS was terminated.
    The decision was based on three primary factors: (1) A review of 
the technical analysis summarized in the Transportation Technical 
Report revealed a very low benefit to cost relationship, (2) the 
analysis showed that the interchange alternatives at 124th Avenue NE 
and 130th Avenue NE would have a negligible effect on reducing 
congestion to meet the project purpose, and (3) the TransLake 
Washington EIS is evaluating long-term needs for SR 520. The EIS 
intends to evaluate interchanges between I-405 and Redmond. The 
TransLake Washington EIS may recommend widening or other interchange 
improvements to the corridor or recommendations that would be 
constrained by a new interchange in the Bel-Red area of SR 520.
    Costs for the build alternatives were estimated to range from $35 
million to $80 million. These latest cost estimates were substantially 
higher than previous estimates and exceeded available funds to 
construct any type of added access improvements to/from SR 520.
    In further response to the Council action, the City removed the 
project from its short-range (6 year) Capital Investment Program. The 
City is also removing the project from its mid-range (12 year) 
transportation programming document, the Transportation Facilities 
Plan.

    Authority: Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 
20.205, Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation of federal programs and activities apply to this 
program.

    Issued on: June 27, 2001.
James A. Leonard,
Urban Transportation and Environmental Engineer, Olympia, Washington, 
for the Division Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-16831 Filed 7-3-01; 8:45 am]
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