[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 25 (Friday, February 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5888-5889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-2562]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: San Juan County, WA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT; National Park 
Service (NPS), DOI.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA and NPS are issuing this notice to advise the public, 
interested groups, and affected agencies that an environmental impact 
statement will be prepared for a proposed road project in San Juan 
Island National Historical Park (Park), San Juan County, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Rasmussen [E-mail: 
[email protected]], Staff Environmental Engineer, FHWA, 610 
East Fifth Street, Vancouver, Washington 98661. Telephone: (360)-619-
7899, or Peter Dederich [E-mail: [email protected]], Park 
Superintendent, P.O. Box 429, 125 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, WA 
98250.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA and NPS will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to address on-going 
and potentially catastrophic road failure on Cattle Point Road. The 
FHWA and NPS will work in cooperation with San Juan County (County) and 
the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as the road 
is currently maintained by the County and the DNR manages a Natural 
Resource Conservation Area (NRCA) in the proposed project vicinity.
    The proposed project is located at the American Camp unit of San 
Juan Island National Historic Park in San Juan County, WA. The American 
Camp unit encompasses much of the southern tip of San Juan Island, 
known as Cattle

[[Page 5889]]

Point. The area of concern is within the Park, where a portion of 
Cattle Point Road is located on top of a steep bluff along the shore of 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    The purpose of this project is to ensure that vehicular and 
pedestrian access to the San Juan Island National Historical Park and 
land outside the Park on Cattle Point will continue in a manner that 
provides a safe and pleasurable experience for the public yet minimizes 
or avoids impacts to the Park, NRCA, and the island environment.
    Coastal wind and wave action are eroding the base of the slope that 
supports the Cattle Point Road. If erosion continues unabated, the 
roadway may fail and severely impact vehicular and non-motorized access 
to the Cattle Point area of San Juan Island. Alternative road 
alignments and various engineering concepts need to be explored to 
address these road integrity and resource protection problems. Design 
concepts need to be measured against environmental concerns so as to 
articulate the natural, cultural, scenic and socio-economic effects for 
implementing any one of the alternatives to be studied. The preferred 
alternative must also be consistent with the adopted land management 
plans of the Park and NRCA, if nearby Washington State Department of 
Natural Resource lands are affected. As required in the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a No Action alternative will also be 
identified and evaluated.
    The proposed project could involve reconstruction of the existing 
road and, in some areas, possibly construction on new alignment. 
Alternatives that may address the potential failure include the 
following: (1) Address slope stability for the road on or near the 
existing alignment, possibly through the use of extensive retaining 
walls, though this may not provide a long-term solution; (2) Realign 
the road to the north of the existing road which would move the road 
away from the shoreline (this includes options of moving the roadway 
part-way up the slope, to the crest of the hill, or to the protected 
north slope of the hill); or (3) Use a tunnel into the hill or bridging 
system near the current alignment, but moving into the slope to provide 
a long-term solution. Alternative 1 may not address the problem for the 
long term, while 2 and 3 would. Variations of grade and alignment will 
be evaluated for adequacy in meeting Park design and transportation 
needs, public concerns, and protect the area's cultural resources, 
natural and social environment.
    Announcements describing the proposed action and soliciting 
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies. These will also be sent to private organizations and citizens 
who have previously expressed or are known to have interest in this 
proposal, as well as to local and regional press media.
    The County initiated scoping in a previous effort, including 
studies, a public meeting, and report. In the past year, this proposed 
project has been reclassified and is now being developed as part of the 
Park Roads and Parkways category of the FHWA Federal Lands Highway 
Program (FLHP), which is financed by the Federal Highway Trust Fund. 
Owing to the changed status of the proposed project, broadened scope, 
and subsequent resource protection concerns, the agencies determined 
that the initial scoping effort was inadequate. Future public scoping 
will incorporate the results of the County's past scoping efforts, 
including public feedback from the public meeting previously held. A 
subequent public scoping meeting will be held February 18th, 2004 on 
San Juan Island, with follow up meetings as necessary. Public notices 
will be issued announcing the time(s) and location(s) of the 
meeting(s).
    Comments: It is important that the full range of issues related to 
this proposed action are addressed and that all significant issues are 
identified. To ensure this, comments and suggestions are invited from 
all interested parties. Comments and questions regarding the proposal 
or scoping sessions should be addressed to: Andrew Rasmussen [E-mail: 
[email protected]], Staff Environmental Engineer, FHWA, 610 
East Fifth Street, Vancouver, Washington 98661. Telephone: (360)-619-
7899.
    All previous responses are maintained in the project administrative 
files and will continue to be considered. Persons wishing to express 
any new concerns about management issues and future land management 
direction are encouraged to address these to: Peter Dederich [E-mail: 
[email protected]], Park Superintendent, P.O. Box 429, 125 Spring 
Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. Telephone: (360)-378-2240.
    All comments must be postmarked or transmitted no later than March 
19, 2004. A public workshop to hear comments and suggestions will be 
conducted at the San Juan Senior Center, in Mullis Center, 589 Nash 
Street, Friday Harbor, WA on February 18, 2004 from 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 
p.m.
    If individuals submitting comments request that their name and/or 
address be withheld from public disclosure, it will be honored to the 
extent allowable by law. Such requests must be stated prominently in 
the beginning of the comments. There also may be circumstances wherein 
the FHWA or Park will withhold a respondent's identity as allowable by 
law.
    The Federal Highway Administration and National Park Service will 
make available to public inspection all submissions from organizations 
or businesses and from persons identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations and businesses. Anonymous 
comments may not be considered.
    Decision: Officials responsible for the final decision are Jonathan 
B. Jarvis, Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park 
Service, and Ronald W. Carmichael, Division Engineer, Western Federal 
Lands Highway Division, Federal Highway Administration.

(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


    Issued on: January 29, 2004.
    Dated: January 29, 2004.
Arthur E. Eck,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service.
    Dated: January 29, 2004.
Ricardo Suarez,
Acting Division Engineer, Western Federal Lands Highway Division, 
Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-2562 Filed 2-5-04; 8:45 am]
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