[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 28, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22558-22560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09516]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in
Arizona
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of
Transportation (USDOT).
[[Page 22559]]
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
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SUMMARY: The FHWA, on behalf of the Arizona Department of
Transportation (ADOT) is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to solicit
comment and advise the public, agencies, Tribes, and stakeholders that
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the
Sonoran Corridor (State Route 410), a new highway between Interstate 19
(I-19) and Interstate 10 (I-10) in Pima County, Arizona. FHWA, in
coordination with ADOT, completed Tier 1 Final EIS and Record of
Decision in October 2021 and addressed the need for additional
transportation capacity and connectivity in Pima County. This Tier 2
EIS will build upon the Tier 1 EIS process.
DATES: Comments on the NOI or the NOI Supplementary Information
Document must be received on or before July 18, 2025.
ADDRESSES: This NOI and the NOI Supplementary Information Document are
available at the project website located at https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-study/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-tier-2-environmental-impact-study-and-design-concept-report. The
NOI Supplementary Information Document will also be mailed upon
request. All interested parties are invited to submit comments or
requests for mailed documents by any of the following methods:
Website: For access to the documents, go to the project
website located at https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-study/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-tier-2-environmental-impact-study-and-design-concept-report. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Phone: (855) 712-8530.
Mailing address or hand delivery or courier: ADOT Sonoran
Corridor c/o WSP, 1230 West Washington Street, Tempe, Arizona, 85281.
Project email address: [email protected].
All submissions should include the agency, public, Tribe, or
stakeholder name and the project identification number. All comments
received will be posted without change to https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-studies/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-study/sonoran-corridor-sr-410-tier-2-environmental-impact-study-and-design-concept-report,
including any personal information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steven Olmsted, Environmental
Planning Program Delivery Manager, Arizona Department of
Transportation, 205 South 17th Avenue, MD EM02, Phoenix, Arizona 85007,
telephone: (480) 202-6050; email: [email protected]. ADOT normal
business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time).
You may also contact: Mr. Paul O'Brien, Environmental Planning
Administrator, Arizona Department of Transportation, 205 S 17th Avenue,
MD EM02, Phoenix, Arizona 85007; telephone: (480) 356-2893; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review, consultation, and
other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for
this project are being, or have been, carried out under ADOT's
assumption of FHWA's National Environmental Policy Act responsibilities
through a Memorandum of Understanding dated June 25, 2024, and executed
by the FHWA and ADOT.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321,
et seq.); recent Council on Environmental Quality guidance; and other
applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
The purpose of the Sonoran Corridor, as established during the Tier
1, is to improve the transportation network by affording better access
to growth areas and activity centers, reduce predicted congestion and
improve levels of service, and provide a system linkage between I-19
and I-10.
The proposed project is to build the Sonoran Corridor, a new high-
capacity transportation corridor between I-19 and I-10. ADOT has
developed three preliminary build alternatives labeled Alternative A,
Alternative B, and Alternative C. Each preliminary build alternative is
located within the 2,000-foot corridor established by the Tier 1
Selected Corridor Alternative. Each of the 400-foot wide preliminary
alternatives consists of a new roadway ranging from 20.38 to 20.53
miles in length, extending east from I-19 south of the El Toro Road
alignment to the Alvernon Way alignment, then traveling north along the
Alvernon Way alignment to approximately the Old Vail Road alignment,
then traveling east along the Old Vail Road alignment and ending at the
I-10/Rita Road intersection. The No Build Alternative involves taking
no action except routine maintenance and other presently planned and
programmed projects.
Additional information on the purpose and need and alternatives, as
well as maps and figures illustrating the project location, and
coordination and public involvement efforts are provided in the NOI
Supplementary Project Information available for review on the project
website noted in the ADDRESSES section.
The Tier 2 EIS will evaluate the potential social, economic, and
environmental impacts resulting from the implementation of the build
alternatives and the No Build Alternative. The following resources are
anticipated to be evaluated in detail during the environmental review
process: Cultural and Historic Resources; Biological Resources and
Wildlife Connectivity; Socioeconomics, Land Use, and Planned
Development; Waters of the United States; Section 4(f); and Noise.
Additionally, the EIS will also identify impacts to farmlands;
recreation; topography, geology, and soils; hydrology, floodplains, and
water resources; energy; Section 6(f) resources; air quality;
transportation; hazardous waste sites; and visual resources.
Anticipated permits and authorizations that could be required prior
to the commencement of construction include:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) approvals under
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 401 water quality
certification;
Arizona State Land Department (ASLD);
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) authorization of the
Central Arizona Project Canal crossing;
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) consultation
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approvals under the
Endangered Species Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and
Migratory Bird Treaty Act; and
Natural Resources Conservation Service approval under the
Farmland Protection Policy Act.
Public engagement activities for the Tier 2 EIS involved an initial
public notification at the onset of the study and an online survey
instrument in September 2024 to gather input on current and future
transportation issues, alternative locations, interchange locations,
and changes in conditions of the area. This survey also gathered
feedback on the public support of the project's ability to serve the
needs identified during the Tier 1 EIS. Agency coordination meetings
include an Agency Early Scoping Meeting held in March 2024, Cooperating
Agency meetings held between February 2025 and May 2025, a
Participating Agency
[[Page 22560]]
meeting held in March 2025, monthly project team meetings, and one-on-
one coordination meetings on specific topics. The Public Involvement
Plan is attached to the NOI Supplemental Information Document.
Cooperating agencies include FAA, USACE, USFWS, USEPA, AZGFD, and
ASLD. Participating agencies include Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, Federal Railroad Administration, National
Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Bureau of Prisons,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Air Force, Davis-Monthan Air
Force Base, Western Area Power Administration, Arizona Air National
Guard, Arizona Department of Corrections, Arizona Department of
Environmental Quality, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona
Department of Water Resources, Arizona State Parks and Trails, Pima
Association of Governments, Tucson Airport Authority, Pima County, Pima
County Regional Flood Control District, City of South Tucson, City of
Tucson, Green Valley Council, Town of Sahuarita, Tohono O'odham Nation,
San Xavier District, Tohono O'odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Ak-Chin
Indian Community, Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Pima-Maricopa
Indian Community, San Carlos Apache Tribe, Tonto Apache Tribe, White
Mountain Apache Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation. A Project Coordination
Plan is attached to the NOI Supplemental Information Document.
Persons and agencies who may be interested in or affected by the
proposed project are encouraged to comment on the information in this
NOI and the NOI Supplementary Information Document. All comments
received in response to this NOI document will be considered and any
information presented herein, as appropriate. Comments must be received
by July 18, 2025. Comments or questions concerning this proposed
action, including the comments relative the preliminary EIS
alternatives, information, and analyses, should be directed to ADOT at
the addresses provided in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
(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 May 21, 2025.
Anthony N. Sarhan,
Deputy Division Administrator, Phoenix, Arizona.
[FR Doc. 2025-09516 Filed 5-27-25; 8:45 am]
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