[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 106 (Friday, June 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32699-32700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11068]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Sussex County, DE

AGENCIES: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Delaware 
Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

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 
highway improvement project in south central Sussex County, Delaware.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert F. Kleinburd, Realty and 
Environmental Program Manager, Federal Highway Administration, Delaware 
Division, J. Allen Frear Federal Building, 300 South New Street, Room 
2101, Dover, DE 19904; Telephone: (302) 734-2966; or Mr. Monroe C. 
Hite, III, P.E., Project Manager, Delaware Department of 
Transportation, 800 Bay Road, P.O. Box 778, Dover DE 19903; Telephone: 
(302) 760-2120. DelDOT Public Relations office (800) 652-5600 (in DE 
only) or (302) 760-2080.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 
in cooperation with the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), 
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to consider 
changes to the existing US

[[Page 32700]]

113 corridor including access restrictions, additional travel lanes, 
and the construction of a potential new alignment in south central 
Sussex County, Delaware. The proposed limited access facility would 
link back to the existing US 113 corridor north of the Town of 
Georgetown and in the vicinity of the Delaware/Maryland state line in 
the Town of Selbyville.
    DelDOT is currently undertaking a planning study (the US 113 North/
Study) to consider improvements for the US 113 corridor from the 
vicinity of Delaware Route 1 north of the City of Milford south to the 
Delaware/Maryland state line. The US 113 North/South Study is the next 
step in the overall planning process for this corridor. This effort is 
a follow-up to a previously completed feasibility study (Sussex County 
North-South Transportation Feasibility Study) in July 2001. The data 
and findings from the feasibility study indicated that upgrading the 
existing US 113 corridor is feasible and that improvements on new 
alignment or alignments, bypassing existing US 113, may be a 
consideration in the Georgetown-South Area, which extends from the Town 
of Georgetown to the Delaware/Maryland state line.
    The US 113 North/South Study recommends that the Georgetown-South 
Area (area in and around the Towns of Georgetown, Millsboro, Dagsboro, 
Frankford, and Selbyville located in south central Sussex County, 
Delaware) be studied separately from the remaining US 113 corridor, 
north to the Town of Ellendale, northern Sussex County. Because of the 
potential for new alignment alternative(s), access restrictions, and 
the resulting potential for significant impacts on the human 
environment, the FHWA has determined that an EIS is the appropriate 
documentation for any corridor changes that may be selected within the 
Georgetown-South Area of study.
    A program of public involvement and coordination with Federal, 
State, and local agencies has been initiated. Both agency and public 
involvement will continue throughout project development. Comments are 
being solicited from appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, 
and private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or 
are known to have interest in this proposal. A public scoping meeting 
via public workshop will be held. Additional informational meetings 
will be scheduled during the course of the study. In addition, a formal 
public hearing will be held after the draft EIS has been prepared. 
Public notice will be given of the time and place of the scoping 
meetings, and the formal public hearing. The draft EIS will be 
available for public and agency review and comment prior to the public 
hearing on the draft EIS.
    To ensure that 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 proposed action and the EIS should be 
directed to the FHWA or DelDOT 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 by: May 24, 2005.
Raymond J. McCormick,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Dover, 
Delaware.
[FR Doc. 05-11068 Filed 6-2-05; 8:45 am]
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