[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 30 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8391-8392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 08-629]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement: East Baton Rouge, West
Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, and Livingston Parishes, LA
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that a
Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
[[Page 8392]]
will be prepared for a proposed toll highway facility in the vicinity
of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl M. Highsmith, Project
Delivery Team Leader, Federal Highway Administration, 5304 Flanders
Drive, Suite A, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, Telephone: (225) 757-
7615, or Mr. Bryan K. Harmon, City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton
Rouge, Department of Public Works, Engineering Division, Deputy
Director/Chief Engineer, Room 409, Municipal Building, 300 North
Boulevard, Post Office Box 1471, Baton Rouge, LA 70821, Telephone:
(225) 389-3186. Project information can be found at the project
Internet Web site at http://www.brloop.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Capital
Area Expressway Authority, and the City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East
Baton Rouge, Louisiana will prepare a Tier 1 EIS on corridor
alternatives for the proposed Baton Rouge Loop. The Baton Rouge Loop is
planned on new location around Baton Rouge, Louisiana connecting I-10
west of Baton Rouge to I-10 south of Baton Rouge, I-10 west of Baton
Rouge to I-12 east of Baton Rouge (which includes an interchange with
I-110), and I-10 south of Baton Rouge to I-12 east of Baton Rouge. The
project would include one or two major bridge crossings of the
Mississippi River. the prototype corridor is approximately 77 miles
long. The proposed facility would be controlled access toll road on new
location that would initially have four lanes with provision to expand
to six lanes. Major arterials that must be traversed, or incorporated
into the complete Loop project may include: Interstate 10, Interstate
12, Interstate 100, US 190 (West Baton Rouge Parish), Scenic Highway
(US 61), Airline Highway (US 190), Plank Road (LA 67), Harding
Boulevard/Hooper Road (LA 408), Blackwater Road (LA 410), Joor Road (LA
946), Range Road (LA 16), Arnold Road (LA 1025), Walker Road North (LA
447), River Road (LA 327), Gardere Lane (LA 327), Bluebonnet Boulevard,
Nicholson Road (LA 30), Airline Highway (US 61), LA 42, LA 44, and
Walker Road South (LA 447).
The new facility is considered necessary to provide for existing
and future traffic demand and to improve the hurricane evacuation
system. At a minimum, the current project will examine, in addition to
the no build alternative, three corridor build alternatives to be
identified in the Baton Rouge Loop Implementation Plan, which is a
planning study to identify engineering, environmental, financial, and
community input factors that are important elements in the
identification of potential loop corridors. The Tier 1 EIS is being
initiated concurrently with the completion of the latter stages of the
Implementation Plan. When the full loop corridor is established as a
result of the Tier 1 EIS, one or more Tier 2 EIS's will be initiated to
select an alignment within the corridor and detailed design features
for individual segments of independent utility.
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, local agencies, tribes, elected
officials and to private organizations and citizens who have previously
expressed or are known to have interest in this proposal. Numerous
public meetings will be held throughout the term of the project. The
first of these meetings, a series of public scoping meetings, will be
conducted to provide the public with information about the project and
an opportunity to assist in formulating the scope of the study. The
public scoping meetings are scheduled as follows:
February 25th--East Baton Rouge Parish--BREC Headquarters.
February 26th--Ascension Parish--Gonzales Civic Center.
February 27th--Livingston Parish--North Park Recreation
Center.
February 28th--West Baton Rouge Parish--Port Allen
Community Center.
March 3rd--Iberville Parish--Plaquemine Civic Center.
A formal scoping meeting for agency input will be scheduled soon
after initiation of the EIS. In addition, a public hearing will be
held. Public notice will be given of the time and place of the public
hearing. The draft EIS will be available for public and agency review
and comment prior to the public hearing.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
project 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 EIS should be
directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental
consultation of Federal programs and activities, apply to this
program.)
Authority: 23 U.S.C., 315; 23 CFR 771.123.
Issued on: February 6, 2008.
Charles ``Wes'' Bolinger,
Division Administrator, FHWA, Louisiana Division, Baton Rouge, LA.
[FR Doc. 08-629 Filed 2-12-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M