[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 153 (Friday, August 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46420-46421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18779]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed SR 1409 (Military Cutoff Road) Extension and Proposed
US 17 Hampstead Bypass New Hanover and Pender Counties in North
Carolina, NCDOT TIP Projects U-4751 and R-3300
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 Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) has been prepared for a road improvement project
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 FEIS will be received until September 8,
2014.
ADDRESSES: Mr. Brad Shaver, Regulatory Project Manager, Wilmington
Regulatory Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., Wilmington, NC 28403 or
Mr. Jay McInnis, Project Engineer, North Carolina Department of
Transportation, 1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and FEIS can be directed to Mr. Brad Shaver, COE--Regulatory Project
Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4611 or Mr. Jay McInnis Jr., P.E.,
NCDOT--Project Engineer, telephone: (919) 707-6029.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE in cooperation with the North
Carolina Department of Transportation prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS), originally published in 2011, 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.
Through input from the public and resource agencies the project was
changed to include a second interchange at the northern terminus. These
changes were considered substantial changes and the public was given
opportunity again to comment through the release of a supplement Draft
EIS published in October 2013. Comments were received on both the Draft
and Supplement Draft EIS which have been addressed in this FEIS. The
original Draft EIS, Supplement DEIS, and FEIS is available for review
on the project Web page: http://www.ncdot.gov/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 Final EIS, the Applicant
understands that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue a Record
of Decision (ROD) for the
[[Page 46421]]
project at the time of permit application from the North Carolina
Department of Transportation. The ROD will document the completion of
the EIS process and will serve as a basis for permitting decisions by
this federal agency.
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 FEIS 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: August 1, 2014.
Henry Wicker,
Assistant Chief, Wilmington Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-18779 Filed 8-7-14; 8:45 am]
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