[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 185 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59122-59123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24485]
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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 17 and Market Street (US 17 Business) Corridor
in Northern New Hanover and Southern Pender Counties, NC
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,
Wilmington Regulatory Division is 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 at Military Cutoff Road in New
Hanover County to north of Hampstead along US 17, Pender County, NC
(TIP Projects U-4751 and R-3300).
DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS will be received until
November 1, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Mr. Brad Shaver, Regulatory Project Manager, Wilmington
Regulatory Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., Wilmington, NC 28403 or
Ms. Olivia Farr, Project Development Engineer, North Carolina
Department of Transportation (NCDOT), 1548 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Brad Shaver, COE--Regulatory Project
Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4611 or Ms. Olivia Farr, NCDOT--Project
Development Engineer, telephone: (919) 733-7844, ext. 253.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE in cooperation with the North
Carolina Department of Transportation has prepared a DEIS on a proposal
to make transportation improvements to the US 17 and Market Street (US
17 Business) corridor in northern New Hanover and southern Pender
Counties. Two North Carolina Department of Transportation Improvement
Program (TIPs U-4751 and R-3300) projects are being evaluated as part
of the US 17 Corridor Study.
The purpose of the US 17 Corridor Study project is to improve the
traffic carrying capacity and safety of the US 17 and Market Street
corridor in the project area. The project study area is roughly bounded
on the west by I-40, on the north by the Northeast Cape Fear River,
Holly Shelter Game Lands to the east, and Market Street and US 17 to
the south.
This project is being reviewed through the Merger 01 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 Quality, Division
of Coastal Management), Federal Highway Administration (for this
project not applicable), and the North Carolina Department of
Transportation 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 Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Merger
process provides a forum for appropriate agency representatives to
discuss and reach consensus on ways to facilitate meeting the
regulatory requirements of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act during
the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of transportation projects.
In 2006 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 September of 2006. In January 2007,
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. In August
of 2007, the alternatives to carry forward were identified. The COE has
worked closely with NCDOT and its representatives to identify
jurisdictional resources within the alternatives carried forward. Upon
completion of the DEIS, NCDOT submitted a request to the COE to solicit
comment from the public in order to identify the Least Environmentally
Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) for the project. This
determination is expected in late 2011.
Citizen public hearings are being scheduled by NCDOT for the Fall
of 2011 at which time citizens will be able
[[Page 59123]]
to voice their opinions on the LEDPA decision.
The DEIS is available on the COE Web site at: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Wetlands/Projects/HampsteadBypass and also
available on the NCDOT Web site at: http://www.ncdot.org/projects/US17HampsteadBypass/. 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 Draft EIS and Final EIS, the
Applicant understands that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in
coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation 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 EIS should be
directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the address provided.
The Wilmington District 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: September 15, 2011.
S. Kenneth Jolly,
Chief, Wilmington Regulatory District.
[FR Doc. 2011-24485 Filed 9-22-11; 8:45 am]
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