[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 97 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28854-28855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11074]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Fresno County, California

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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

SUMMARY: The FHWA, on behalf of the California Department of 
Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for 
the State Route 180 Westside Expressway Route Adoption Study, located 
in Fresno County, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Trais Norris, Senior Environmental 
Planner, Sierra Pacific Environmental Analysis Branch, Caltrans, 2015 
E. Shields Avenue, Suite 100, Fresno, California 93726, or call (559) 
243-8178.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective July 1, 2007, the FHWA assigned, 
and Caltrans assumed, environmental responsibilities for this project 
pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327. Caltrans will prepare a Tier I EIS on a 
proposal to establish

[[Page 28855]]

a route for improving and extending State Route 180 (SR 180) from 
Interstate 5 (I-5) to State Route 99 (SR 99), in Fresno County, 
California.
    In late 2005, at the behest of local and regional government 
representatives, Caltrans began work on a Route Adoption Study with a 
multi-staged alternative screening process and a broad range of 
environmental studies. All of this work was aimed at preparing and 
processing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) under the California 
Environmental Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA) and subsequently recommending 
a route for adoption by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). 
The goal of this proposal has now extended to include preparation of a 
Tier I EIS under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). SR 180 
is a west-to-east, rural, two-lane highway extending approximately 25 
miles between State Route 33 (SR 33) in the community of Kerman and SR 
99 in the city of Fresno. A 20-mile gap exists between the current 
westerly terminus of SR 180 and I-5, farther to the west. The proposed 
action consists of selecting the most appropriate location for an 
ultimate four-lane expressway between I-5 and SR 99, over a distance of 
approximately 45 miles. Two generally 1,000-foot-wide alternative 
corridor alignments, the Northern Route and the Southern Route, will be 
considered in the EIS along with several alignment variations that 
avoid impacts to site-specific resources. The Northern Route 
Alternative extends an estimated 48.3 miles beginning at an existing 
interchange on I-5 at Shields Avenue. The Southern Route Alternative 
extends an estimated 47.4 miles beginning at a point where the Belmont 
Avenue alignment would intersect I-5 about 2 miles south of the Shields 
Avenue interchange. Both routes proceed east, bypassing the City of 
Mendota to the north and the south and merge on a single alignment 
between Shields and Belmont Avenues just east of the City of Mendota. 
Continuing east for approximately 10 miles, the routes split again. The 
Northern Route continues on an alignment just south of Belmont, 
terminating at Valentine Avenue in the City of Fresno. The Southern 
Route runs generally on an alignment just north of Whitesbridge and 
ends at a connection with the future westerly extension of SR 180 at 
Brawley Avenue. In addition, a No Build Alternative will be considered, 
which would leave existing SR 180 unchanged. Upon completion of the 
NEPA and CEQA environmental processes, the CTC will make the route 
adoption decision.
    In 2005, letters describing the proposed action and soliciting 
comments were sent to the appropriate federal, state and local agencies 
and to private organizations and citizens who have expressed or are 
known to have interest in this proposal. Public information meetings 
were also held in February 2006 and October 2006. Although the proposal 
and the alternatives it describes are unchanged, following publication 
of the NOI, a public scoping meeting will be held on June 11, 2008 from 
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kerman Community Center in Kerman, California. 
A newsletter describing the new direction and opportunity provided by 
the Tier I document will also be sent to agencies and local residents.
    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. If you have 
any information regarding historic resources, endangered species, or 
other sensitive issues, which could be affected by this route adoption, 
please notify this office. Comments or questions concerning this 
proposed action and the EIS should be directed to Caltrans' contact at 
the address provided previously.

(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.)

    Issued on: May 12, 2008.
Nancy Bobb,
Director, State Programs, Federal Highway Administration, Sacramento, 
California.
 [FR Doc. E8-11074 Filed 5-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P