[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21491-21492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8330]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the South Capitol Street 
Roadway Improvement and Bridge Replacement Project

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in coordination with 
the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington, DC is 
issuing this notice to advise agencies and the public that a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to assess the impacts of 
potential effects of proposed transportation improvements in the South 
Capitol Street Corridor is being prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Federal Highway Administration, 
District of Columbia Division: Mr. Michael Hicks, Environmental/Urban 
Engineer, 1900 K Street, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20006-1103, (202) 
219-3513; or Mr. John Deatrick, Deputy Director/Chief Engineer, 
District of Columbia, Department of Transportation, (202-671-2800).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review of transportation 
improvement alternatives in the South Capitol Street Corridor will be 
conducted in accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371, et 
seq.), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508), FHWA Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 771.101-771.137, 
et seq.), and all applicable Federal, State, and local government laws, 
regulations, and policies.

Public Scoping Meetings

    DDOT will solicit public comments for consideration and possible 
incorporation in the DEIS through public scoping, including scoping 
meetings, on the proposed improvements. To ensure that the full ranges 
of issues related to this proposed action are addressed and all 
significant issues are identified early in the process, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested and/or potentially affected 
parties. These individuals or groups are invited to attend the public 
scoping meeting. The meeting location and time will be publicized in 
local newspapers and elsewhere. Written comments will be accepted 
throughout this process and can be forwarded to the address provided 
above.
    Meeting dates, times, and locations will be announced on the 
project Web-site accessible at http://www.SouthCapitolEIS.com and in 
the following newspapers: The Washington Post, The Washington Times, 
The Hill Rag, East of the River, The Southwester, and La Nacion USA.
    Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and may also be 
obtained in advance of the meetings by contacting Mr. John Deatrick. 
Scoping materials will be made available on the project web-site. Oral 
and written comments may be given at the scoping meetings. Comments may 
also be sent to the address above. A stenographer will be available at 
the meetings to record comments. Scoping information will be made 
available in both English and Spanish.

Description of Primary Study Area and Transportation Needs

    The South Capitol Street Corridor is located in the southwest and 
southeast

[[Page 21492]]

quadrants of the District of Columbia. The South Capitol Street 
Corridor extends from Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue to the U.S. 
Capitol in Washington, DC along South Capitol Street. Proposed 
improvements, including improvements to the Frederick Douglass Memorial 
Bridge, would be made between Suitland Parkway at Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Avenue and Independence Avenue, and New Jersey Avenue between M 
Street, SE., and Independence Avenue.
    The purpose of the South Capitol Street project is to create a new 
gateway. This gateway will consist of a balanced, sustainable, 
multimodal transportation network that knits neighborhoods together and 
facilitates the movement of commuters with minimal impact on the 
surrounding neighborhoods. The South Capitol Street Corridor, as 
defined in the AWI Framework Plan, is intended to provide better access 
to waterfront areas east and west of the river, including Poplar Point 
and Buzzard Point, and better serve historic Anacostia, and near 
southeast and southwest neighborhoods. The future Anacostia Waterfront 
will include a cleaner river, sustainable waterfront neighborhoods, new 
and revitalized waterfront parks, and vibrant cultural attractions. The 
creation of new transit stops and pedestrian facilities where none 
exist, due to physical barriers along South Capitol Street and Suitland 
Parkway, will create new opportunities for movement throughout the 
corridor. Without improvements to facilitate the efficient traffic flow 
of all modes, the level and duration of congestion will continue to 
deteriorate throughout the corridor.
    The project includes the proposed redevelopment of South Capitol 
Street per, the National Capital Planning Commission's 1997 plan, 
Extending the Legacy, Planning America's Capital for the 21st Century. 
The plan includes South Capitol Street as a civic gateway to central 
Washington providing a mix of shopping, housing, and offices. It also 
proposes replacing the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge with a new 
six-lane span that would accommodate pedestrians and bicycles. The 2003 
South Capitol Gateway and Corridor Improvement Study, completed under 
congressional direction, expressed the challenges and opportunities for 
this corridor including disinvestments, traffic functionality, local 
access, and the general need to restore this corridor to its original 
intent as a grand gateway to the nation's capital.
    The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) seeks to restore the 
river's water quality, reclaim the waterfront as a magnet of activity, 
and stimulate sustainable development in waterfront neighborhoods. The 
development of the South Capitol Street Corridor is an important early 
step in the reinvestment and reclamation process. There is also a need 
to support the development of new mixed-use development and employment 
in the corridor that benefits existing residents, providing 
transportation support for a variety of new housing and economic 
development activities. Development in the Southeast Federal Center and 
Washington Navy Yard, as well as construction of the proposed ballpark 
and on Buzzard Point, will be adding large numbers of jobs and creating 
new residential neighborhoods. Early traffic estimates project the 
addition of 3,250 vehicles and 7,800 pedestrians during ballpark 
events. The corridor could enhance the vitality and safety of the 
District's roads and neighborhoods around them, by creating places and 
destinations for pedestrians and bicycles.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations and 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: April 21, 2005.
Gary L. Henderson,
Division Administrator, District of Columbia Division, Federal Highway 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-8330 Filed 4-25-05; 8:45 am]
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