[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 35108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15297]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
in Cooperation With the North Carolina Department of Transportation for 
Improvements to the US 70 Corridor Between the Town of LaGrange, Lenoir 
County and the Town of Dover, Jones County, NC. Depending on the 
Alternative Selected, the Proposed Project May Serve as a Bypass to the 
Town of Kinston

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District 
Regulatory Division and the North Carolina Department of Transportation 
(NCDOT), acting together as the joint lead agencies, are issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a State of North Carolina funded Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared describing 
proposed improvements to the transportation system starting near the 
intersection of US 70 and NC 903 near the Town of LaGrange, Lenoir 
County, heading east near the intersection of US 70 and Old US 70 
(NCSR-1005) near the Town of Dover, Jones County, NC.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be received until September 6, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: COE NCDOT Regulatory Project Manager, Washington Regulatory 
Field Office, 2407 West 5th Street, Washington, NC 27889; or NCDOT 
Kinston Bypass, Project Development Engineer, NCDOT, 105 Pactolus Hwy. 
33, Greenville, NC 27834.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Tom Steffens, COE--Regulatory Project 
Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4615 or Ms. Heather Lane, NCDOT--Project 
Development Engineer, telephone: (252) 439-2847.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE and NCDOT, acting together as joint 
lead agencies, have prepared a DEIS on a proposal to make 
transportation improvements to the US 70 corridor between the Town of 
LaGrange, Lenoir County and the Town of Dover, Jones County, NC. The 
NCDOT Improvement Program project (TIP R-2553, US 70 Kinston Bypass) 
will serve to test and evaluate streamlining the project evaluation 
process by utilizing GIS data for alternative development, alternative 
analysis, and selection of the Least Environmentally Damaging 
Practicable Alternative (LEDPA).
    The purpose of the US 70 Kinston Bypass project is to improve 
regional mobility, connectivity and capacity deficiencies on US 70 
between LaGrange and Dover. The project study area is roughly bounded 
on the west by NC-903 and US 70 near LaGrange, on the north by the 
Lenoir/Greene County line, to the east near Dover and to the south at 
the Duplin/Lenoir County line.
    This project is being reviewed through the Merger Process, designed 
to streamline the project development and permitting processes, agreed 
to by the COE, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources (Division of Water Resources, Division of Coastal 
Management), Federal Highway Administration (for this project not 
applicable), and NCDOT and supported by other stakeholder agencies and 
local units of government. The other partnering agencies include: U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; N.C. 
Wildlife Resources Commission; N.C. Department of Cultural Resources; 
and the Eastern Carolina Planning Organization. The Merger Process 
provides a forum for appropriate agency representatives to discuss and 
reach consensus on meeting the regulatory requirements of Section 404 
of the Clean Water Act during the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of 
transportation projects.
    In June 2010 the project was presented to federal and state 
resource and regulatory agencies to gain concurrence on the purpose and 
need for the project. The aforementioned purpose and need of the 
project was agreed upon by participating agencies in October of 2010. 
In November 2011, the project was again presented to participating 
agencies regarding the preliminary corridor screening process in an 
attempt to decide which alternatives would be carried forward for 
detailed analysis. Multiple meetings throughout 2012 and 2013 revised 
the initial number of alternatives carried forward for detailed 
analysis down to a reasonable range. In January of 2014, a 
determination was made on the final alternatives to carry forward. 
Since 2014, the COE has been working closely with NCDOT and its 
representatives to identify jurisdictional resources within the 
remaining alternatives. This effort was completed in the spring of 
2017.
    Upon completion of the DEIS, NCDOT will submit a request to the COE 
to solicit comment from the public in order to identify the LEDPA for 
the project.
    Citizens informational workshops have been scheduled by NCDOT for 
August 17th and 19th followed by a Public Hearing on August 20th, 2019 
at which time citizens will be able to voice their opinions on the 
LEDPA and the content of the DEIS.
    The DEIS is available on the COE website at: https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory-Permit-Program/Major-Projects/ and also available on the NCDOT website at: http://www.ncdot.org/projects/kinston-bypass/Pages/default.aspx. Any person 
having difficulty in viewing the document online can contact the COE 
project manager or the NCDOT project manager for a CD copy of the 
document.
    After distribution and review of the DEIS and Final EIS, the 
Applicant understands that the COE in coordination with the NCDOT will 
issue a Record of Decision (ROD) for the project. The ROD will document 
the completion of the EIS process and will serve as a basis for 
permitting decisions by federal and state agencies.
    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 DEIS should be 
directed to the COE at the address provided. The COE will periodically 
issue Public Notices soliciting public and agency comment on the 
proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action as they are 
developed.

    Dated: July 3, 2019.
Henry M. Wicker, Jr.,
Deputy Chief, Regulatory Division, Wilmington District.
[FR Doc. 2019-15297 Filed 7-19-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P