[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 88 (Thursday, May 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19592-19594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08057]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2025-0004]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
a Proposed Highway Project; Pinal County, Arizona
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of
Transportation (USDOT).
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 North-
South Corridor, Segment 1, a new highway between U.S. Highway 60 (US
60) and Arizona Farms Road in Pinal County, Arizona. The Tier 1 Final
EIS and Record of Decision were completed in August 2021 and addressed
the need for additional north-to-south transportation capacity and
connectivity in Pinal County. This Tier 2 EIS will build upon the Tier
1 EIS process. A Tier 2 EIS has also been initiated for Segment 2 and a
NOI is expected within the next 12-months.
DATES: Comments on the NOI or the NOI Supplementary Information
Document must be received on or before June 10, 2025.
ADDRESSES: This NOI and the NOI Supplementary Information Document are
available in the docket referenced above at www.regulations.gov
(https://regulations.gov) and on the project website located at
www.northsouth-segment1.com. 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 www.northsouth-segment1.com. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 19593]]
Phone: (602) 474-3990.
Mailing address or hand delivery or courier: ADOT NSCS
Segment 1 c/o HDR, Inc. 20 East Thomas Road, Suite 2500, Phoenix, AZ
85012.
Project email address: segment1.com">info@northsouth-segment1.com.
All submissions should include the agency, public, Tribe, or
stakeholder name; the docket number that appears in the heading of this
notice; and the project identification number. All comments received
will be posted without change to www.regulations.gov (http://regulations.gov) or www.northsouth-segment1.com, 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: solmsted@azdot.gov. 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: POBrien@azdot.gov.
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.
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.
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 and need of the North-South Corridor, as established
during the Tier 1, is to enhance the area's transportation network to
accommodate existing and future populations, improve access to future
activity centers, improve regional mobility, provide an alternate to
avoid traffic congestion on Interstate 10, improve north-to-south
connectivity, and integrate the region's transportation network.
The proposed project would construct a new north-to-south freeway
between US 60 and Arizona Farms Road. The EIS will evaluate a range of
build alternatives and a No Build Alternative. ADOT has developed three
preliminary build alternatives labeled Alternative 1, Alternative 2,
and Alternative 3. Each preliminary build alternative is located within
the 1,500-foot corridor established by the Tier 1 Selected Corridor
Alternative and is approximately 20-miles long. All three preliminary
build alternatives would connect with US 60 at the northern project
limits and Arizona Farms Road at the southern project limits. In some
areas where there are few environmental and technical constraints
present, all three preliminary build alternatives use a common single
alignment alternative. In other areas where environmental and technical
constraints are present, the build alternatives are different and are
described based on their horizontal location within the 1,500-foot
corridor. Alternative 1 is within the western portions of the 1,500-
foot corridor in constrained areas of the corridor, Alternative 2 is
within the center zone, and Alternative 3 is within the eastern zone.
This study will also establish traffic interchange locations. The
preliminary range of potential interchange locations include Houston
Road, Elliott Road, Ray Road, State Route 24, Germann Road, Ocotillo
Road, Combs Road/Riggs Road, Skyline Drive, Bella Vista Road, Judd
Road, and Arizona Farms Road.
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 public
information meetings held in September 2023. Agency coordination
meetings include an Agency Early Scoping Meeting held in August 2023,
Cooperating Agency meetings held between April 2024 and March 2025, and
one-on-one coordination meetings on specific topics.
Cooperating agencies include USACE, Reclamation, USFWS, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Arizona Game and Fish Department,
ASLD, and Pinal County. Participating agencies include the Bureau of
Land Management, Federal Railroad Administration, Arizona SHPO, Arizona
State Parks, Maricopa Association of Governments, Maricopa County
Department of Transportation, the City of Apache Junction, the Gila
River Indian Community, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe. A Project
Coordination Plan is attached to the NOI Supplemental Information
Document.
All public comments received in response to this notice will be
considered and potential revisions will be made to the information
presented herein as appropriate. Comments must be received by June 10,
2025. Comments or questions concerning this proposed action, including
the comments relative
[[Page 19594]]
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.)
Anthony N. Sarhan,
Deputy Division Administrator, Phoenix, Arizona.
[FR Doc. 2025-08057 Filed 5-7-25; 8:45 am]
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