[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 9, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39371-39372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15611]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


First Tier Environmental Impact Statement: Jackson County, MO

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 a 
First Tier Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for 
proposed improvements to I-70 from the end of the last ramp termini 
east of the Missouri and Kansas state line to east of

[[Page 39372]]

the I-470 interchange, including the entire Kansas City Downtown 
Central Business District (CBD) Freeway Loop, in Jackson County, 
Missouri.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Peggy J. Casey, Environmental 
Projects Engineer, FHWA Division Office, 3220 West Edgewood, Suite H, 
Jefferson City, MO 65109, Telephone: (573) 636-7104; or Mr. Kevin 
Keith, Chief Engineer, Missouri Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 
270, Jefferson City, MO 65102, Telephone: (573) 751-2803.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Missouri 
Department of Transportation (MoDOT), will prepare a First Tier EIS to 
consider the impacts of improvements to I-70 from the end of the last 
ramp termini east of the Missouri and Kansas state line to east of the 
I-470 interchange, including the entire Kansas City downtown CBD 
freeway loop, in Jackson County, Missouri. The project length is 
approximately 18 miles (20 miles with freeway loop segments).
    MoDOT, in partnership with Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), and 
the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), completed a 
Major Investment Study (MIS) for the I-70 corridor in Jackson County in 
November, 2004. The MIS evaluated the I-70 corridor in a general nature 
and recommended an improvement strategy that would reconstruct and 
widen the existing facility from Kansas City's downtown CBD freeway 
loop to the Route F/H interchange in Oak Grove, Missouri. This strategy 
also included redesigning access and interchanges for the entire CBD 
freeway loop.
    FHWA and MoDOT are now preparing a First Tier EIS to develop an 
improvement strategy for the highway elements of the I-70 corridor, 
using the MIS Statement of Purpose and Need and Strategy Packages as 
the foundation. The First Tier EIS will coordinate with completed and 
ongoing studies. These studies include the I-70 Transit Alternatives 
Analysis; the Kansas City, Missouri's Downtown CBD Study; the I-29/I-35 
Paseo Bridge Corridor EIS; the I-470 Purpose and Need study; and the I-
70 Supplemental EIS study.
    Strategies to be considered include (1) no build; (2) highway 
widening and interchange improvement strategies; and (3) transportation 
system management options. The First Tier EIS will seek to determine 
sections of independent utility over this 18-mile stretch of I-70 that 
will become the basis for second tier environmental studies (20 miles 
with the freeway loop segments).
    The First Tier EIS will conform to the environmental review process 
as established in Section 6002 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). 
The Section 6002 environmental review process requires the following 
activities: Identification and invitation of cooperating and 
participating agencies; establishment of a coordination plan; and 
opportunities for additional agency and public comment on the project's 
purpose and need, strategies, and methodologies for determining 
impacts.
    As part of the scoping process, an interagency coordination meeting 
will be held with federal and state resource agencies and local 
agencies. In addition, informational meetings with the public and 
community representatives will be held to solicit input on the project. 
The Study Management Team from the I-70 MIS will be re-established and 
will consist of agency staff from MoDOT, MARC, KCAT, and other 
identified local participating agencies. A location public hearing will 
be held to present the findings of the Draft First Tier EIS. Public 
notice will be given announcing the time and place of all public 
meetings and the hearing. The Draft First Tier EIS will be available 
for public and agency review and comment prior to the public hearing.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action is addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments 
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments and 
questions concerning this proposed action and the First Tier EIS should 
be directed to the FHWA or MoDOT at the addresses provided above. 
Concerns in the study area include potential impacts to communities, 
cultural resources, and rivers.

(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 on: June 27, 2008.
Peggy J. Casey,
Environmental Project Engineer, Jefferson City.
[FR Doc. E8-15611 Filed 7-8-08; 8:45 am]
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