[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33972-33973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15301]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement; Hays County, Texas
AGENCY: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Federal notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
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SUMMARY: FHWA, on behalf of TxDOT, is issuing this notice to advise the
public that an EIS will be prepared for a proposed transportation
project to construct a new location four lane roadway in and near the
City of Kyle in Hays County. The roadway would start west of Kyle and
run east to Interstate 35 (I-35), and may follow portions of existing
Ranch-to-Market (RM) 150, from west of Arroyo Ranch Road, running east
to I-35.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carlos Swonke, Division Director,
TxDOT Environmental Affairs Division, 125 East 11th Street, Austin,
Texas 78701; Phone (512) 416-2734; email: [email protected].
TxDOT's normal business hours are 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (central time),
Monday through Friday.
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 by TxDOT pursuant to
23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16,
2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT.
TxDOT will prepare an EIS for the proposed construction of a new
location four lane roadway in and near the City of Kyle in Hays County.
The roadway would start west of Kyle and run east to I-35, and may
follow portions of existing RM 150, from west of Arroyo Ranch Road,
running east to I-35. The proposed project is included in the Capital
Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) 2040 Metropolitan
Transportation Plan, 2015, as a new location four-lane roadway that may
follow portions of the existing RM 150 roadway. The proposed project is
approximately 6 miles long.
Proposed improvements to Ranch to Market (RM) 150 are needed
because the existing two-lane facility is inadequate to handle existing
and future traffic volumes between I-35 and RM 150 west of Kyle,
resulting in congestion and safety concerns. In addition, the overall
transportation network does not provide sufficient linkage to I-35 to
handle existing and future traffic volumes in this growing area of Hays
County. The current two-lane facility does not meet current design
standards, does not meet the Level of Service to meet increasing travel
demand and does not provide a safe and adequate crossing of the Union
Pacific Railroad. In addition, regional population growth continues to
increase demand for additional capacity and access in this corridor and
the region. The purpose of the proposed project is to relieve
congestion and improve safety along the existing RM 150 corridor
between RM 150 west of Kyle and I-35.
The EIS will develop and evaluate alternatives intended to satisfy
the identified purpose and need. The alternatives will include a range
of build alternatives and a no-build alternative within the study
corridor, which is generally bounded to the north by RM 150 south of
Indian Hills Trail, to the east by the existing RM 150 east of Arroyo
Ranch Road and through the city of Kyle to I-35, to the south by the
intersection of Yarrington Rd. and I-35, and to the west by the Blanco
River.
The roadway build alternatives may include limited access and non-
limited access (arterial) design. The EIS will evaluate potential
impacts from construction and operation of the proposed project,
including, but not limited to, the following: Transportation impacts,
air quality and noise impacts; water quality impacts including storm
water runoff, water recharge zone impacts; impacts to waters of the
United States, including wetlands; impacts to floodplains; impacts to
historic and archeological resources; socio-economic impacts including
environmental justice and limited English proficiency populations;
impacts to land use, vegetation and wildlife, including threatened and
endangered species and habitat impacts; impacts to or potential
displacement of residents and businesses; and impacts to aesthetic and
visual resources. TxDOT will issue a single Final EIS and Record of
Decision document pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 139(n)(2), unless TxDOT
determines statutory criteria or practicability considerations preclude
issuance of the combined document.
Anticipated state and federal permits, pending selection of
alternatives and field surveys, may include, but are not limited to,
the following: United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section
404 permit, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Section
401 Water Quality Certification; TCEQ Texas Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (TPDES) permit, Advisory Council for Historic
Preservation (ACHP) Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act)
approval, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service Section 7
(Endangered Species Act) permits and approval.
Public involvement is a critical component of the project
development process and will continue throughout the development of the
EIS. A draft project coordination plan has been developed in accordance
with 23 U.S.C.
[[Page 33973]]
139, Efficient Environmental Reviews for Project Decision Making, to
identify and document opportunities for project involvement by the
public and other agencies.
The project coordination plan will promote involvement from
stakeholders, agencies and the public as well as describe the proposed
project, the roles of the agencies and the public, the proposed project
purpose and need, schedule, level of detail for alternatives analysis,
and the proposed process for coordination and communication. The plan
will be available for public review, input, and comments at public
meetings, including scoping meetings held in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and upon request at the TxDOT
Austin District Office.
In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139, cooperating agencies,
participating agencies and the public will be given an opportunity for
continued input on the proposed project. A public scoping meeting is
planned for the summer of 2018. An agency scoping meeting will also be
held with participating and cooperating agencies. The purpose of the
agency and public scoping meetings is to present the project studies
completed to date and identify significant and other relevant issues
related to the proposed RM 150 corridor as part of the NEPA process.
The scoping meetings will provide an opportunity for participating
agencies, cooperating agencies, and the public to review and comment on
the draft project coordination plan and schedule, the proposed project
purpose and need, the range of alternatives developed to date to be
considered and evaluated in the EIS, and methodologies and level of
detail for analyzing alternatives.
In addition to the agency and public scoping meetings, a public
hearing will be held. Public notice will be given of the time and place
of the meetings and hearing. To ensure that the full range of issues
related to the proposed project is addressed and all significant issues
are identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all
interested parties. Such comments or questions concerning this proposed
action should be directed to TxDOT at the address provided above.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction.)
Issued on: July 10, 2018.
Michael T. Leary,
Director, Planning and Program Development, Federal Highway
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-15301 Filed 7-17-18; 8:45 am]
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