[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 217 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63087-63089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24627]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Notice of Final Actions for the Tier 1 Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Sonoran Corridor Between Interstate 19 (I-19) 
and Interstate 10 (I-10), South of the Tucson International Airport in 
Pima County, Arizona

AGENCY: Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Federal Highway 
Administration (FHWA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces actions taken by the Federal Highway 
Administration (FHWA) and the Arizona Department of Transportation 
(ADOT) that are final. The actions relate to the Tier 1 EIS study 
associated with the Sonoran Corridor between I-19 and I-10, south of 
the Tucson International Airport in Pima County, Arizona. The public is 
advised that FHWA issued a ROD which signifies the conclusion of the 
Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS study. The ROD is combined with the Tier 1 
Final EIS prepared by FHWA and ADOT.

DATES: By this notice, FHWA is advising the public of final agency 
actions subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1). A claim seeking judicial review 
of the Federal agency actions on the Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS will 
be barred unless the claim is filed on or before April 14, 2022. If 
this date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, or legal holiday, parties are 
advised to file their claim no later than the business day preceding 
this date. If the Federal law that authorizes judicial review of a 
claim provides a time period of less than 150 days for filing such 
claim, then that shorter time period still applies.

ADDRESSES: The single Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD document is 
now available online at: https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-tier-1-environmental-impact-statement. Hard 
copies of the single Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD document is 
also available at the following locations during normal business hours: 
ADOT Southcentral District Office, 1221 South 2nd Avenue, Tucson, 
Arizona 85713, please call (520) 388-4200 to make an appointment; Joel 
D. Valdez Main Library, 101 North Stone Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85701, 
(520) 594-5500; Joyner-Green Valley Library, 601 North La Canada Drive, 
Green Valley, Arizona 85614, (520) 594-5295; and Town of Sahuarita 
Clerk's Office, 375 West Sahuarita Center Way, Sahuarita, Arizona 
85629, (520) 822-8801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For FHWA, contact Mr. Ammon Heier, 
Area Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 4000 North Central 
Avenue, Suite 1500, Phoenix, Arizona 85012, Email: [email protected], 
Telephone: (602) 382-8983. Regular office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. For 
ADOT, contact Mr. Samuel Patton, Project Manager, Arizona Department of 
Transportation, 206 South 17th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85007, Email: 
[email protected], Telephone: (602) 712-6168. Regular office hours are 
from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for Federal 
holidays. Project information can be obtained from the project website 
at: https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-tier-1-environmental-impact-statement.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FHWA and ADOT, in cooperation with the 
Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. 
Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the 
Arizona Game and Fish Department, prepared a

[[Page 63088]]

Tier 1 EIS for the Sonoran Corridor between I-19 and I-10, south of the 
Tucson International Airport in Pima County, Arizona in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 
through 1508), FHWA's regulations implementing NEPA (23 CFR part 771), 
and Section 4(f) (23 CFR part 774). The Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS 
identified Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road as the 
Preferred Alternative. Subsequently, FHWA concurred with the selection 
of Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road and issued a ROD 
for the Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS study. The ROD, combined with the 
Tier 1 EIS pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 304a(b), 23 U.S.C. 139(n)(2), and 23 
CFR 771.124, identifies and discusses all such factors that FHWA and 
ADOT balanced in making the decision for the Tier 1 EIS study.
    Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road effectively 
addresses transportation deficiencies that were identified in the Tier 
1 EIS, and meets the overall purpose of the study, which is to identify 
a high priority, high-capacity, access-controlled transportation 
corridor that will improve the existing transportation network by 
affording better access to service growth areas and existing activity 
centers; reduce congestion and improve the Level of Service that is 
predicted for the study area in 2045; and provide a system linkage that 
improves mobility associated with regional, interstate, and 
international travel. Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita 
Road is approximately 20.47 miles long and extends from the west at I-
19 in Sahuarita, near El Toro Road, to I-10 at Rita Road. From I-19, it 
will travel east along a new alignment for approximately 2 miles, then 
travel north along an extension of Alvernon Way to Old Vail Connection 
Road, and then follow Old Vail Connection Road east to I-10 at Rita 
Road.
    FHWA and ADOT initiated the Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS study in 
May 2017. The Tier 1 EIS evaluated three Build corridor alternatives 
and the No-Build Alternative. The three Build corridor alternatives 
were 2000-ft corridors, in which a future specific 400-ft highway 
alignment would be identified, evaluated, and constructed during Tier 2 
if selected. The Tier 1 EIS considered the evaluation of environmental, 
social, and economic effects of the Sonoran Corridor at a programmatic 
level. Since Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road is 
identified as the Selected Alternative in the ROD issued by FHWA, 
future Tier 2 studies will discuss and address the site-specific 
details on project impacts, costs, and identify specific mitigation 
measures once funding to construct a highway alignment within the 2000-
ft corridor area of Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road 
is identified. Since Corridor Alternative 7: El Toro South to Rita Road 
is a long-term improvement that will likely be implemented in segments 
over time at a level of detail sufficient to move elements of the plan 
toward construction, a Phased Implementation Plan was included in the 
single Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD document.
    The actions by FHWA, ADOT, and other relevant Federal agencies and 
the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in the Tier 
1 Draft EIS approved on October 27, 2020, the Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD 
approved on October 27, 2021, and in other documents in the project's 
file. This notice applies to all Federal agency decisions as of the 
issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such actions were 
taken, including but not limited to: National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.]; Federal-Aid Highway Act [23 U.S.C. 101 
set seq]; Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.]; Section 4(f) of the 
US Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. 303, 23 U.S.C. 
138]; Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 1536]; Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act [16 U.S.C. 703-712]; The National Historic Preservation 
Act of 1966, [54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.]; Archeological Resources 
Protection Act [16 U.S.C. 16 U.S.C. 470aa-mm ]; Archeological and 
Historic Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 469]; Native American Grave 
Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) [25 U.S.C. 3001-3013]; Title 
VI of Civil Rights Act [42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.]; American Indian 
Religious Freedom Act [42 U.S.C. 1996]; Farmland Protection Policy Act 
(FPPA) [7 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.]; Clean Water Act [33 U.S.C. 1251 et 
seq.]; E.O. 11990 Protection of Wetlands; E.O. 11988 Floodplain 
Management; E.O. 12898 Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice 
in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations; E.O. 11593 
Protection and Enhancement of Cultural Resources; E.O. 13007 Indian 
Sacred Sites; E.O. 13287 Preserve America; E.O. 13175 Consultation and 
Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments; E.O. 11514 Protection and 
Enhancement of Environmental Quality; E.O. 13112 Invasive Species.
    The Tier 1 EIS, ROD, and other documents in the project file are 
available online at: https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-tier-1-environmental-impact-statement. Please contact 
either FHWA or ADOT at the addresses provided above if you would like 
further documentation.
    For the Sonoran Corridor Tier 1 EIS study, FHWA served as the Lead 
Agency while ADOT served as the Local Sponsoring Agency. For future 
Sonoran Corridor activities and Tier 2 studies, ADOT has assumed FHWA's 
responsibility for carrying out NEPA under two separate Memorandums of 
Understanding (MOU) that have been executed by FHWA and ADOT: 
Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions MOU pursuant to 23 U.S.C 326 
(326 MOU), and Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program MOU 
pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 (327 MOU). Under these assignments, ADOT is 
responsible for carrying out federal environmental review 
responsibilities and complying with all applicable federal 
environmental laws, regulations, Executive Orders and policies. ADOT is 
solely liable for environmental decisions made on projects in Arizona 
funded under the Federal-aid Highway Program pursuant to either the 326 
MOU or the 327 MOU.
    Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans 
with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other nondiscrimination laws and 
authorities, ADOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, 
national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons that require a 
reasonable accommodation based on language or disability should contact 
Joanna Bradley, ADOT Community Relations Project Manager, at (520) 388-
4257. Requests should be made as early as possible to ensure the State 
has an opportunity to address the accommodation.
    De acuerdo con el T[iacute]tulo VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 
1964, la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA por sus siglas 
en ingl[eacute]s) y otras normas y leyes antidiscriminatorias, el 
Departamento de Transporte de Arizona (ADOT) no discrimina por motivos 
de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, edad o discapacidad. Las 
personas que requieran asistencia (dentro de lo razonable) ya sea por 
el idioma o discapacidad deben ponerse en contacto con Joanna Bradley, 
ADOT Community Relations Project Manager, (520) 388-4257. Las 
solicitudes deben hacerse lo m[aacute]s antes posible para asegurar que 
el Estado tenga la oportunidad de hacer los arreglos necesarios.

(Authority: 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1))


[[Page 63089]]


    Issued on: November 4, 2021.
Karla S. Petty,
Arizona Division Administrator, Phoenix, Arizona.
[FR Doc. 2021-24627 Filed 11-12-21; 8:45 am]
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