[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 92 (Tuesday, May 13, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 25676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-11873]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Strafford and Rockingham 
Counties, New Hampshire

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 (EIS) is being prepared for a proposed 
highway project in Strafford and Rockingham Counties, New Hampshire.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William F. O'Donnell, P.E., 
Environmental Program Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 279 
Pleasant Street, Suite 204, Concord, New Hampshire 03301-7502, 
Telephone: (603) 228-3057, x 145, or Mr. William R. Hauser, 
Administrator, Bureau of Environment, New Hampshire Department of 
Transportation, P.O. Box 483, John O. Morton Building, Concord, New 
Hampshire 03302-0483, Telephone: (603) 271-3226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the New 
Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposal for construction on 
an approximate 3.5-mile section of an existing highway facility 
(Spaulding Turnpike, NH Route 16, extending north from the Gosling 
Road/Pease Boulevard Interchange (Exit 1) in the Town of Newington, 
across the Little Bay Bridges, to a point just south of the existing 
toll facility in the City of Dover) that serves as a major north-south 
transportation link for the State of New Hampshire.
    The proposed action would improve safety and increase 
transportation efficiency by relieving traffic congestion and reducing 
travel time, and accommodate projected increases in traffic demand.
    Alternatives to be considered include (1) taking no action; (2) 
upgrading the existing route (approximately 3.5 miles in length) to add 
capacity; (3) applying Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures, 
such as carpool parking lots, high occupancy vehicle lanes, etc.; (4) 
applying Transportation System Management (TSM) improvements to 
selected interchange locations on existing roads; and (5) combinations 
of these alternatives. Various options for bridge rehabilitation, 
widening, and/or replacement of the Little Bay Bridges, final 
disposition of the historic General Sullivan Bridge, consolidation of 
the interchanges, and various designs of grade, alignment, and geometry 
will be evaluated.
    Public informational, community and Advisory Task Force meetings 
will be held in the study area as the project progresses to include 
public input in the project development process. A public hearing will 
be held following distribution of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS). Public notice will be given regarding the time and 
location of this hearing. The DEIS will be available for review and 
comment by the public and interested agencies prior to the public 
hearing.
    A formal scoping meeting has been scheduled and will be held at 4 
p.m. on June 25, 2003, at the Newington Town Hall, 205 Nimble Hill Road 
in Newington, New Hampshire. At this session, an overview of the 
project area will be presented and the purpose and need of the project 
will be discussed. The purpose of this meeting is to (1) reaffirm the 
limits of the project study area; (2) refine the study framework and 
the impacts to be analyzed; and (3) define a reasonable range of 
alternatives to be considered.
    Agencies, requested to become cooperating agencies, are the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA), the new Hampshire State Historic Preservation Office 
(SHPO), the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), 
the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department (NHF&GD), the New Hampshire 
Office of State Planning (OSP), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), 
the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the National 
Marine Fishery Service (NMFS).
    To ensure 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 proposal and the EIS should be directed to 
the FHWA or the NHDOT at the addresses 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 apply to this program.)

    Issued on: May 5, 2003.
Kathleen O. Laffey,
Division Administrator, Concord, New Hampshire.
[FR Doc. 03-11873 Filed 5-12-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M