[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 208 (Monday, October 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 61209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21214]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Notice of Intent (for NEPA EIS); Environmental Impact Statement: 
Erie County, NY

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 will be prepared for proposed highway 
project: NYS Route 198 (Scajaquada Expressway) Corridor, PIN 5470.22, 
I-190 to NYS Route 33, City of Buffalo, Erie County, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan E. Taylor, Regional Director, 
NYSDOT Region 5; 100 Seneca Street, Buffalo NY 14203, Telephone: 716-
847-3238; or Amy Jackson-Grove, Acting Division Administrator, Federal 
Highway Administration, New York division, Leo W. O'Brien Federal 
Building, 9th Floor, Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, Albany, New 
York 12207, Telephone: (518) 431-4127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the New York 
State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve NYS Route 
198 in Erie County, New York. The proposed improvement would involve 
the rehabilitation or reconstruction of the existing route between 
Interstate 190 and NYS Route 33 in the City of Buffalo for a distance 
of about 3.3 miles.
    NYS Route 198 (the Scajaquada Expressway) is an Urban Principal 
Arterial Expressway on the National Highway System connecting 
Interstate 190 and NYS Route 33 with traffic volumes between 34,000 and 
54,000 vehicles per day, a design speed of 55 mph, and grade separated 
interchanges. The expressway is subject to congestion (a poor Level of 
Service at several intersections) and accidents (higher than expected 
rates), with a portion of the corridor identified as having ``severe 
safety needs.'' There are also areas of poor pavement conditions and 
failing drainage systems. The expressway facility is at odds with the 
context of the surrounding culturally rich community resources, 
including a nationally renowned art gallery, an historic Olmsted-
designed park, an historic cemetery, historic buildings, higher 
education institutions and residential neighborhoods. The expressway 
acts as a barrier, dividing the park and hindering the use of these 
resources by the community including pedestrians and bicyclists. A 
transportation facility is needed that balances the need to be in 
harmony with the surrounding community character with the need to 
provide safe and efficient transportation service for all modes of 
transportation through the affected area.
    The range of alternatives will include no action and give 
consideration to design components derived from a previous study that 
investigated changing the expressway character of the existing facility 
by eliminating grade separated interchanges and providing design 
elements appropriate to an arterial including at-grade intersections 
with signals or roundabouts. Alternatives studied may include 
rehabilitation of the existing roadway, as well as full reconstruction 
including new curbs, highway drainage, sidewalks, bicycle paths and 
shared-use facilities, improved highway lighting and signing, and 
landscape enhancements. Areas of concern emphasized in the study will 
include potential environmental impacts upon the adjacent 
neighborhoods, parks, cultural resources, air quality and surface 
waters from construction, traffic and traffic noise. Additional input 
from Participating and Cooperating Agencies, and from the public, will 
be necessary before a final decision will be made regarding the full 
range of alternatives to be studied.
    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 
interest in this proposal. A series of public information meetings will 
be held in the City of Buffalo between November 2007 and February 2010. 
In addition, a public hearing will be held. Public notice will be given 
of the time and place of the meetings and hearings. The draft EIS will 
be available for public and agency review and comment. A formal NEPA 
scoping meeting will be held in the lecture hall of the main building 
at Medaille College, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214 on November 
28 at 6 p.m.
    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 NYSDOT or FHWA at the addresses provided above.

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

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; U.S.C. 771.123.

    Issued on: October 17, 2007.
Amy Jackson-Grove,
Acting Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Albany, 
New York.
 [FR Doc. E7-21214 Filed 10-26-07; 8:45 am]
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