[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 50 (Monday, March 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12193-12194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5741]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Cobb and Cherokee Counties, GA

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) will be prepared for a proposed 
combined highway and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on I-75 and I-575 
in Cobb and Cherokee Counties, Georgia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Walter Boyd, Urban Transportation 
Engineer, FHWA, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., Suite 17T100, Atlanta, Georgia

[[Page 12194]]

30303, telephone: (404) 562-3651; Mr. Tony Dittmeier, Transportation 
Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, 61 Forsyth Street, SW., 
Suite 17T50, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, telephone (404) 562-3512; Mr. 
Harvey Keepler, State Environmental/Location Engineer, Georgia 
Department of Transportation, 3993 Aviation Circle, Atlanta, Georgia 
30336, telephone: (404) 699-4400; or Mr. Marvin Woodward, Director of 
Projects and Planning, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, 245 
Peachtree Center Avenue, NE., Suite 900, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, 
telephone: (404) 463-3099.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Georgia 
Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA), and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), will 
prepare an EIS on a proposal to extend High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) 
lanes along Interstate 75 and 575 (I-75 and I-575). The HOV lanes would 
be extended on I-75 from Akers Mill Road to Wade Green Road. HOV lanes 
would also be constructed on I-575 from the I-75/I-575 Interchange to 
Sixes Road in Cherokee County. The proposed HOV lanes would accommodate 
the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system with various 
transit stations along the I-75 corridor. Various design alternatives 
for both the HOV lanes and the BRT system will be studied.
    In the May 15, 2003 Federal Register (volume 67, number 94), a 
notice of intent was issued by the FTA, in cooperation with the GRTA, 
to advise agencies and the public that an Alternatives Analysis (AA) / 
EIS was going to be prepared for a proposed transportation improvement 
in the metropolitan Atlanta region's northwest corridor. During the 
development of that AA by GRTA, it was determined that the appropriate 
course of action was to jointly develop a transportation improvement 
project with GDOT. A Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) has been 
adopted by GDOT and GRTA and an EIS will be prepared based on that LPA.
    Letters 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 or are 
known to have interest in this proposal. A series of public meetings 
and a public hearing will be held. The draft EIS will be available for 
public and agencies review and comments prior to the public hearing. To 
ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed project 
is addressed and all significant issues identified, formal scoping will 
be initiated. Additionally, comments and suggestions are invited from 
all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed 
action 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. Georgia's approved 
clearinghouse review procedures apply to this program.)

    Issued on: March 9, 2004.
Walter E. Boyd,
Urban Transportation Engineer, FHWA, Atlanta, Georgia.
[FR Doc. 04-5741 Filed 3-12-04; 8:45 am]
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