[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 90 (Thursday, May 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26680-26681]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-8940]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: San Bernardino County, CA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public of its 
intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
proposed widening and realignment of State Route 58 (SR-58) Kramer 
Junction Expressway from two to four lanes located between the Kern/San 
Bernardino County line and a point 12.9 miles east on SR-58 in San 
Bernardino County, California. This will be a gap closure project.

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. Marie Petry, 
California Department of Transportation District 8, 464 W. Fourth 
Street, San Bernardino, CA 92401. Telephone: (909) 383-6379.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the California 
Department of Transportation, will prepare an EIS for the proposed 
widening and realignment of SR-58 Kramer Junction Expressway in San 
Bernardino County, California. This 13-mile long project would take 
place entirely within San Bernardino County and is centered on the 
Kramer Junction where SR-58 intersects with US-395 west of the City of 
Barstow. This section of SR-58 is currently a nonstandard two-lane 
highway between a four-lane freeway to the west and a four-lane 
expressway to the east. The proposed project would close this gap. The 
existing two-lane segment includes an at-grade signalized intersection 
at SR-58/US-395 (Kramer Junction), an overhead crossing of Burlington 
Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad west of that intersection, and 
numerous uncontrolled at-grade driveway and street access points. There 
is also an at-grade railroad crossing on US-395 north of the SR-58/US-
395 intersection that slows traffic and contributes to accidents when 
traffic backs up during train crossings. SR-58 is a major east-west 
transportation corridor with a high percentage of truck traffic 
transporting goods in and out of the state. The purpose of this project 
is to provide for increased separation of slow moving vehicles, to 
separate local and regional traffic, to reduce accidents, and to 
eliminate the convergence of SR-58 and US-395 traffic. The project 
would also provide congestion relief and improve traffic operations and 
access to local services.
    A preferred alternative has not been selected at this point. One No 
Build (Alternative A) and three Build Alternatives (Alternatives B, C, 
and D) will be addressed in the EIS document. All three proposed Build 
Alternatives would increase capacity and be reclassified from a 
conventional highway to an expressway. As proposed, Alternative B would 
be a realignment north of the existing highway. Alternative C would be 
generally along the existing highway alignment, and Alternative D would 
be a realignment south of the existing highway. Furthermore, 
construction of a new freeway-to-freeway interchange where SR-58 
intersects with US-395 is proposed for Alternatives B, C, and D. This 
new interchange would have to span the existing at-grade railroad under 
Alternatives B and C, but this would not be necessary under Alternative 
D because the new interchange is far enough south of the railroad. In 
addition, Alternatives B and D would include a second grade separation 
(overhead) structure to span the railroad further east and west, 
respectively, of the proposed SR-58/US-395 interchange.
    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

[[Page 26681]]

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.)

    Issued On: May 2, 2007.
Maiser Khaled,
Director, Project Development & Environment, California Division, 
Federal Highway Administration.
 [FR Doc. E7-8940 Filed 5-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P