[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 214 (Wednesday, November 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62658-62659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27781]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: McCarthy, AK

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and Alaska Department of 
Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF).

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) and section 4(f) evaluation will 
be prepared for a proposed transportation improvement project on the 
McCarthy Road, Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim A. Haugh, Environment and Right-
of-way Programs Manager, Federal Highway Administration, Alaska 
Division Office, 709 W. 9th Street, Room 851, PO Box 21648, Juneau, 
Alaska 99802-1648, (907) 586-7430, or Janet Brown, P.E., Project 
Manager, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, 
Preliminary Design & Environmental, 2301 Peger Road, Fairbanks, Alaska 
99709-5399, (907) 451-2283.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the ADOT&PF, 
will prepare an EIS for proposed improvements on McCarthy Road, from 
Chitina to the west bank of the Kennecott River, a distance of 60 
miles.
    The McCarthy Road links the community of McCarthy and the Kennecott 
Mines National Historic Landmark, to Chitina and the rest of the state 
road system. The road is the primary route into Wrangell-St. Elias 
National Park and Preserve (Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P), passing through a 
patchwork of National Park Service, State of Alaska Department of 
Natural Resources, Chitina Native Corporation, Athna Regional 
Corporation, University of Alaska, and private lands.
    The majority of the existing road is along the route of the Copper 
River and Northwestern Railway. In many areas gravel was placed 
directly over the ties, which is still the driving surface. There are 
many short, sharp curves, resulting in limited sight distances. In 
several areas there are steep embankments with no guardrails and 
unstable side slopes that produce falling rocks and other debris. The 
roadway varies in width from 15-feet to 20-feet, the surface is very 
rough gravel, and in many areas there are no roadside ditches for 
drainage. The road surface commonly floods and is subject to severe 
icing.
    Alternatives under consideration for this project include but are 
not limited to:

--No build; continued use of the current road, with limited on-going 
maintenance activities.
--Improving the most serious roadway deficiencies.
--Reconstructing the road to a design speed of 35 mph, considering all 
or some of the guidelines laid out in the ``McCarthy Scenic Corridor 
Plan''; a joint document produced by National Park Service (NPS), 
ADOT&PF, adjacent land owners and resource agencies.
--Reconstructing the road to a design speed of 50 mph, meeting modern 
highway standards.
--Reconstruction the road as a rural, low-volume facility, addressing 
safety concerns in this context.

    Under each alternative, minor realignments, the location and number 
of waysides and other enhancement facilities, and the final surfacing 
of the road (gravel or a hard surface) will be evaluated.
    The proposed project aims to alleviate the problems described for 
the existing road and to provide a safe, reliable transportation link 
to McCarthy and Wrangell-St. Elias NP&P.
    Input from appropriate Federal, State, tribal, local agencies, 
private organizations and citizens, and other stakeholders will be 
solicited throughout the development of the EIS. Newsletters, newspaper 
public notices, and a web site will be used as mechanisms for 
transmitting information and obtaining comments. A series of agency and 
public meetings

[[Page 62659]]

will be held in McCarthy, Chitina, and Anchorage, Alaska throughout the 
EIS process. In addition, public hearings will be held in McCarthy, 
Chitina, and Anchorage, Alaska. Public notice will be given of the time 
and place of the meetings and hearings. The Draft EIS will be made 
available for public and agency review and comment prior to the public 
hearing. A formal agency scoping meeting will be held in Anchorage, 
Alaska in December 2003. Formal public scoping meetings will be held in 
McCarthy, Chitina, and Anchorage, Alaska, by late spring 2004.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified, written 
public input, comments, and suggestions on environmental issues or 
concerns related to the proposed improvements are invited from all 
interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed 
action and the EIS should be directed to the FHWA or the ADOT&PF 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 on Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program.)

    Issued on: October 28, 2003.
Tim A. Haugh,
Environment and Right of Way Programs, Manager, Juneau, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 03-27781 Filed 11-4-03; 8:45 am]
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