[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4828-4829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1685]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Los Angeles County, CA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA, on behalf of the California Department of 
Transportation (Caltrans), is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for 
the proposed New State Route 138 project in Los Angeles County, 
California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald Kosinski, Deputy District 
Director, California Department of Transportation District 7 Division 
of Environmental Planning, 100 South Main Street, Mail Stop 16A, Los 
Angeles, CA 90012.

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 as the delegated National Policy 
Act (NEPA) lead agency will prepare a draft Environmental Impact 
Statement on a proposal to construct a new freeway/expressway within 
the City of Palmdale, Los Angeles County, California. The proposed 
alignment follows the existing Avenue P-8 corridor from State Route 14 
to 100th Street for a distance of approximately 10 miles. This is part 
of a larger overall plan to construct a new freeway/expressway between 
SR-14 in Los Angeles County and I-15 in San Bernardino County.
    Improvements to this corridor are considered necessary to provide 
for the existing and projected traffic demand attributed to large-scale 
growth and increasing developments in the northern portion of Los 
Angeles County, especially in the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster. In 
addition, insufficient regional access both to and from the Palmdale 
Airport constrains the likelihood of future airport expansion. The 
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has identified 
the Palmdale Airport as the key component in the regional airport 
system and states that by 2025, the airport will play an important role 
in servicing the Northern Los Angeles Region as this area continues to 
experience growth.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1) ``No-Build''; (2) 
Constructing a new 4-lane east-west State Route 138 (SR-138) from State 
Route 14 (SR-14) to 50th Street, and then transitioning to a

[[Page 4829]]

4-lane expressway up to 100th Street; and (3) Constructing a freeway/
expressway similar in scope to Alternative 2 except for the portion 
between 15th Street and 70th Street where the alignment shifts south by 
approximately 2190 feet. For this segment the centerline alignment 
would follow the original easement granted by Los Angeles World Airport 
(LAWA). Incorporated into and studied with the various build 
alternatives will be design variations of grade and alignment.
    It is anticipated that this new freeway/expressway would be 
constructed on six to eight feet of fill material. In areas prone to 
flooding, the fill material (vertical profiles) would increase to avoid 
flooding problems. Culverts, ditches, and viaducts would also be 
constructed when necessary to avoid floodwaters and washes. For 
alternatives 2 and 3, viaducts are proposed from approximately Division 
Street to 10th Street and at Little Rock Wash. Alternatives 2 and 3 
also include a proposal to close the existing partial interchange at 
SR-14 and Rancho Vista Blvd. and modifying the existing partial 
interchange at SR-14 and 10th Street West to a full interchange.
    It is anticipated that the proposed project may require the 
following federal approvals and permits: a Biological Opinion from the 
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, approval of a PM10 and PM2.5 
Hot Spot Analysis by the Conformity Working Group for transportation 
conformity determination under the Clean Air Act, Section 401, 402 and 
404 permits under the Clean Water Act, and a Farmland Conversion Impact 
Rating under the Farmland Protection Policy Act.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State and local agencies, Participating 
Agencies, Tribal governments, and to private organizations and citizens 
who have previously expressed or are known to have an interest in this 
proposal. NEPA requires the lead agency to conduct an early and open 
process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for 
identifying the significant issues related to a proposed action. In 
compliance with NEPA, a formal scoping meeting will be held in the City 
of Palmdale on February 10, 2009 at the Palmdale Cultural Center, 
located at 38350 N. Sierra Highway, Palmdale, CA 93550. Public notice 
will be given of the time and place of the meeting.
    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 draft EIS should be 
directed to Caltrans at the address provided above.

(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: January 21, 2009.
Cindy Vigue,
Director, State Programs, Federal Highway Administration, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. E9-1685 Filed 1-26-09; 8:45 am]
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