[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4958-4959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00810]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Hillsborough County, 
Florida

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement/Section 4(f) Evaluation.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in cooperation with 
the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is issuing this notice 
to advise the public that a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement/Section 4(f) Evaluation (SEIS/4f) will be prepared to 
evaluate new significant environmental impacts since the November 1996 
approval of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Section 4(f) 
Evaluation (FEIS) for the Tampa Interstate Study proposed highway 
project in Hillsborough County, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cathy Kendall, Senior Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, 3500 Financial 
Plaza, Suite 400, Tallahassee, Florida 32312, Telephone: (850) 553-
2225, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Menna Yassin, 
Project Manager, Florida Department of Transportation District 7, 11201 
North McKinley Drive, Tampa, Florida 33612, Telephone: 813-975-6433, 
email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY PROJECT INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the 
Florida Department of Transportation will prepare an SEIS to examine 
the impacts and to modify the Long Term Preferred Alternative for the 
Tampa Interstate Study to improve portions of I-275 (SR 93), I-4 (SR 
500) and SR 60 in Hillsborough County, Florida. The proposed 
modification includes changes to design elements and use of innovative 
financing sources, including collecting tolls.
    A FEIS/Section 4(f) Evaluation (FEIS# FHWA-FL-EIS-95-03-F) was 
issued for the Project on November 22, 1996 with Records of Decision 
(ROD) dated January 31, 1997 and June 14, 1999. The FEIS and RODs are 
available on the project Web site at: www.TampaInterstateStudy.com.
    Since issuance of the RODs, the FDOT has taken several major steps 
to advance the Project toward construction: The documents have been 
reevaluated several times (in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 
2011, 2013 and 2015) which advanced various elements of the project, 
many of which have already been constructed: Including portions of 
Segment 1A, Segment 2A, Segment 3A, Segment 3B and Segment 3C. The FDOT 
now proposes to evaluate changes in environmental impacts, new 
information and circumstances relevant to the proposed project and 
changes to preliminary engineering identified since FEIS approval. An 
SEIS is being prepared because FHWA has determined that the changes 
result in significant impacts to the human and natural environment that 
were not evaluated in the FEIS. The SEIS is expected to examine:
     New impacts to the human, natural and physical 
environment.
     Adding overpasses at several locations along I-275 to 
improve local street access under I-275 to better connect the 
communities of Tampa Heights and VM Ybor.
     Tolling the Express Lanes of the Project's improvements 
along I-275 and I-4.
     Changes in express lane access to local streets in the 
Tampa downtown area, to the I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector, and 
various locations from the general use lanes on I-275 and I-4.
    The proposed improvement would involve the reconstruction of I-275 
from East of Howard Frankland Bridge to East of Himes Avenue, I-275 
from East of Himes Avenue to East of Rome Avenue, and East of Rome 
Avenue to North of SR 574 (Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.) and I-4 from 
I-275 to east of 50th Street. These improvements were identified as 
sections 1A, 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B in the originally approved FEIS. 
Improvements to the corridor are considered necessary to provide for 
the existing and projected traffic demand.
    Alternatives under consideration include: (1) Taking no further 
action; (2) the improvements shown in the Long Term Preferred 
Alternative (LTPA) in the approved FEIS, and (3) alteration of the LTPA 
to collect tolls for the express lanes, add more connectivity between 
the express lanes and the general use lanes, add express lane access to 
the local street network in downtown Tampa, and alter lane 
configuration slightly for improved future traffic operations.
    Opportunities for input will be provided to appropriate federal, 
state,

[[Page 4959]]

and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who have 
expressed interest in this Project. Public meetings and a public 
hearing will be held to solicit public input. The SEIS will be made 
available for public and agency review and comment. Notices of 
availability for the SEIS will be provided through direct mail, the 
Federal Register and other media. Notification also will be sent to 
Federal, State, local agencies, persons, and organizations that submit 
comments or questions. Additional project information including 
schedules and locations for the public meetings/hearing will be 
announced in the local news media and on the Project Web site, 
www.TampaInterstateStudy.com.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed 
action is addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action and the SEIS should be 
directed to the FHWA at the address provided above. Questions 
concerning this Project and the SEIS may also be directed to Menna 
Yassin, Project Manager, Florida Department of Transportation, District 
7, 11201 North McKinley Drive, Tampa, Florida 33612, telephone (813) 
975-6433, email [email protected].
    Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 139, FHWA intends to combine the Final SEIS 
and Record of Decision if it is practicable, to the extent possible as 
allowed by this provision of law.
    Paperwork Reduction. The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to 
minimize the cost to the taxpayer of the creation, collection, 
maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information. 
Consistent with this goal and with principles of economy and efficiency 
in government, FHWA tries to limit insofar as possible distribution of 
complete printed sets of NEPA documents. Accordingly, unless a specific 
request for a complete printed set of the NEPA document is received 
before the document is printed, FHWA and FDOT will distribute only 
electronic copies of the NEPA document. A complete printed set of the 
environmental document will be available for review at FDOT's offices; 
an electronic copy of the complete environmental document will be 
available on the Project Web site.

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

Cathy Kendall,
Senior Environmental Specialist, FHWA, Tallahassee, Florida.
[FR Doc. 2017-00810 Filed 1-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P