[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 5, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38207-38208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5987]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; San Bernardino County, CA

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 of its 
intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
proposed U.S. 395 Realignment Freeway/Expressway project on U.S. 395 
from the Interstate 15 (I-15)/U.S. 395 interchange to Farmington Road. 
Part of the realignment would go through the cities of Oak Hills, 
Hesperia, Victorville, Adelanto and incorporated areas of San 
Bernardino County, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tay Dam, Senior Project Development 
Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 888 South Figueroa, Suite 
1850, Los Angeles, CA, 90017. Telephone: (213) 202-3954. Boniface 
Udotor, California Department of Transportation District 8, 464 W. 
Fourth Street, San Bernardino, CA 92401. Telephone: (909) 383-1387.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the California 
Department of Transportation, District 8, will prepare an EIS to 
realign U.S. 395 from the I-15/U.S. 395 interchange to Farmington Road. 
The proposed U.S. 395 Realignment Freeway/Expressway corridor to be 
evaluated is located either on existing U.S. 395 or west of existing 
U.S. 395, through the cities of Oak Hills, Hesperia, Victorville, 
Adelanto and incorporated areas of San Bernardino County. The entire 
proposed project length is approximately 45.0 miles long. A preferred 
alternative has not been selected at this point. All build alternatives 
begin at the I-15 U.S. 395 interchange and would extend to Farmington 
Road.
    The viable alternatives in the environmental analysis consist of an 
existing alignment and two realignments upgrading U.S. 395 from a two-
lane highway to a six-lane freeway/four-lane expressway configuration. 
The six-lane freeway portion of the proposed existing alignment/
realignments would start at the I-15/U.S. 395 junction and ends at 
Purple Sage Street. The expressway portion for the proposed action 
would continue from Purple Sage Street to Farmington Road. The build 
alternatives will include construction of new interchanges. For 
consideration in the EIS, the following four alternatives will be 
analyzed:
     Alternate A: No Build. This Alternative consists of no 
change to existing facilities along the proposed project portion of the 
U.S. 395 corridor.
     Alternative D: Existing Alignment. The Existing Alignment 
Alternative follows the existing alignment or a slightly offset 
alignment throughout the project limits.
     Alternative F: Realignment West of Existing Corridor. This 
Alternative proposes to realign the corridor from the I-15/U.S. 395 
interchange to Farmington Road. This realignment heads northwest in the 
vicinity of the Oak Hills Community and the Union Pacific Railroad, and 
then continues in a northerly direction just west of Caughlin Road 
within San Bernardino County limits and traversing the western portions 
of the City of Adelanto, where it converges back to paralleling the 
existing U.S. 395 alignment for the remainder of the project limits.
     Alternative G: Realignment West of Existing Corridor along 
Oro Grande Wash. This alternative consists of a realignment detaching 
from existing the I-15/U.S. 395 interchange, where immediately crosses 
the Union Pacific Railroad within the first 1\1/2\ miles heading 
northeast along the Oro Grande Wash. the realignment continues 
northeasterly throughout the western portions of the Cities of Hesperia 
and Victorville and follows in a northerly

[[Page 38208]]

direction just west of Cuaghlin Road within San Bernardino County 
limits and traversing the western portions of the City of Adelanto 
where it converges back to paralleling the existing U.S. 395 alignment 
for the remainder of the project limits.
    The alternatives described above will be further refined through 
efforts conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR part 771), the 1990 Clear Air Act 
Amendments, section 404 of the Clean Water Act, Executive Order 12898 
regarding environmental justice, the National Historic Preservation 
Act, the Endangered Species Act, the section 4(f) of the U.S. 
Department of Transportation Act, and other Federal environmental 
protection laws, regulations, policies, and executive orders. The EIS 
will incorporate comments from the public scoping process as well as 
analysis in technical studies. Other alternatives suggested during 
scoping process would be considered during the development of the EIS. 
The EIS will consider any additional reasonable alternatives identified 
during scoping process. Letters describing the proposed action and 
soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, 
regional and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens 
who previously have expressed, or are known to have, an interest in 
this project. Location and details of the public scoping meeting for 
the proposed project will be advertised in local newspapers and other 
media and will be hosted by the California Department of 
Transportation, District 8.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation Federal programs and activities apply to this program)

    Dated: June 27, 2006.
Gene K. Fong,
Division Administrator, California Division, Federal Highway 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 06-5987 Filed 7-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M