Laredo Northwest International Bridge (Bridge IV), Laredo, TX: Finding of No Significant Impact

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 2114]

Laredo Northwest International Bridge (Bridge IV), Laredo, TX:

Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Department of State.

ACTION: Notice of a finding of no significant impact with regard to

issuance of a permit to build a cross-border bridge.

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SUMMARY: The Department of State is announcing a finding of no

significant impact on the environment for the Laredo Northwest

International Bridge (Bridge IV) project sponsored by the City of

Laredo, Texas. An environmental assessment of the proposed Laredo

Northwest International Bridge project was prepared by Parsons

Brinkerhoff, Quade & Douglas, Inc. of Austin, Texas, for the sponsor,

the City of Laredo, Texas. The draft environmental assessment was

reviewed by over two dozen federal, state, and local agencies. After

revisions based on comments received from interested agencies and other

parties, the final assessment was reviewed and approved or accepted by

the Immigration and Naturalization Service, General Services

Administration, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture,

Department of Commerce, U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal

Highway Administration, Food and Drug Administration, International

Boundary and Water Commission--U.S. Section, Department of Defense,

Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the

Department of State, and the appropriate Texas State agencies--the

Parks and Wildlife Department, the Department of Transportation, and

the Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Based on the

environmental assessment, information developed during the review of

the City's application and environmental assessment, and comments

received, the Department has concluded that issuance of the permit will

not have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment

within the United States. An environmental impact statement will not be

prepared.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the environmental assessment and the finding of no

significant impact may be obtained from Stephen R. Gibson, Office of

Mexican Affairs, Room 4258, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520

(Telephone 202-647-8529).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

The City of Laredo, Texas, has requested a permit to build a new

bridge, with access road, to be constructed across the Rio Grande

between Laredo, Texas, USA, and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The

bridge is to be located 9.35 river miles north along the Rio Grande

from the existing Laredo International Bridge I. Initially, it will

carry pedestrian and freight traffic only, and is intended to relieve

the traffic burden on existing bridges in downtown areas. As a

condition of issuance of the Presidential Permit, the City of Laredo

has agreed to ban all commercial traffic from the two existing bridges

in downtown Laredo. The work will include the following items: The

bridge structure, the U.S. Customs Border Import lot facilities, a City

Toll Plaza and Export lot facilities, water and sewer facilities and a

State Highway facility (Extension of FM 3464) connecting to FM 1472.

The new bridge is needed to provide an alternate route for existing

commercial truck traffic, which currently passes from the two downtown

bridges through the city streets of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. Increases

in truck traffic at Laredo have averaged 19 percent over the past five

years, and can reasonably be expected to continue increasing with the

entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Factors Considered

The Department of State (``the Department'') is charged with

issuance of Presidential Permits for the construction of international

bridges under the International Bridge Act of 1972, 86 Stat. 731; 33

U.S.C. 535 et seq., and Executive Order 11423, 33 FR 11741 (1968), as

amended by Executive Order 12847 of May 17, 1993, 33 FR 96 (1993). The

Department considered four alternative actions in this case: (1) Denial

of a Presidential Permit (the ``no action;'' alternative), (2) the City

providing public transportation services between Laredo and Nuevo

Laredo, (3) issuance of a Presidential Permit with a condition

requiring diversion of all commercial traffic from the two existing

downtown bridges in Laredo and (4) issuance of a Presidential Permit

without a condition requiring the diversion of all commercial traffic

from the two existing downtown bridges.

In considering the ``no action'' alternative, and the alternative

of the City providing public transportation services between Laredo and

Nuevo Laredo, the Department noted the continuing increases in

commercial truck traffic on the existing Laredo bridges. Truck traffic

(southbound only) increased from 274,743 trucks in 1987 to 781,332 in

1993. It also noted the implementation of NAFTA beginning January 1,

1994, which it believes will further stimulate the growth of truck

traffic through Laredo. Approximately 60 percent of the commercial

truck traffic between the United States and Mexico already passes

through Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. The population of the Laredo

Metropolitan Statistical Area increased from 99,258 in 1980 to 133,239

in 1990 and is expected to increase to 259,000 by the year 2010. The

City of Nuevo Laredo in Mexico has also seen considerable growth in the

last ten years; its population is expected to increase to as much as

350,000 by 2010. The increasing population, urbanization and commerce

in the Laredo area mean that existing problems of air pollution,

traffic congestion, and danger from hazardous waste caused by heavy

truck traffic will continue to cause the quality of the environment of

the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo downtown areas to deteriorate if no acceptable

alternative route for such traffic is provided.

The third alternative considered and the alternative chosen was to

issue a Presidential Permit for construction of a bridge with a

condition requiring diversion of all commercial traffic from the two

existing downtown bridges in Laredo. The advantage of issuing a permit

with such a condition is that it virtually eliminates the above-

mentioned problems of air pollution, traffic congestion and danger from

hazardous waste from the Laredo downtown area, insofar as these

problems are caused by commercial truck traffic. The City has agreed to

designate the new facility as a commercial crossing only and to route

all commercial traffic from the two existing downtown bridges.

The fourth alternative considered was the issuance of a

Presidential Permit without a condition requiring the diversion of all

commercial traffic from the two existing downtown bridges. Under this

alternative, the environmental effects would be essentially the same as

described below, except that benefits to the environment of downtown

Laredo would not be as great as in the third alternative, as there is

no assurance that commercial trucks would leave the downtown area and

use the new bridge. Except as a condition of issuance of a Presidential

Permit, the Department of State has no authority to require the City of

Laredo to reroute traffic from the downtown bridges. If the new bridge

is not constructed, the City of Laredo is under no obligation to ban

commercial truck traffic from the downtown bridges at all, and such

traffic would not be diverted to other bridges in the area, such as the

Colombia/Solidarity bridge.

The Environmental Assessment submitted by the City provides

information on the environmental effects of the construction of a new

bridge. On the basis of the Environmental Assessment, and information

developed by the Department and the other federal and state agencies in

the process of reviewing the Environmental Assessment, the Department

makes the following conclusions regarding the impact of construction of

a new international bridge at the proposed location.

Air Quality

Webb County, Texas, within which the proposed bridge is located, is

designated as an attainment area for National Ambient Air Quality

Standards (NAAQS). Since Webb County is in attainment, meeting the

currently established National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the U.S.

Clean Air Act does not mandate that the State Implementation Plan (SIP)

address non-attainment requirements. Virtually all the air pollution

caused by the City's proposal would be vehicle emissions. As noted

above, rerouting commercial truck traffic from downtown Laredo bridges

to this bridge and the Colombia/Solidarity bridge will have a positive

impact on air quality in downtown Laredo. Overall emissions in Laredo

would be reduced because of reductions in idling time, startups and

stops associated with long waits for inspection at the existing

bridges. Construction of the bridge and related infrastructure will

have some transient impacts on air quality but it is not expected that

the ambient pollutants will cause violations of the National Ambient

Air Quality Standards. Based on the project descriptions provided, the

Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission does not expect that air

emissions associated with the project will substantially impact ambient

air quality.

River Channel and Floodplains

Construction of the bridge involves placing of concrete piers and

may have some minor short-term effects on the Rio Grande channel.

However, the City states that the bridge when constructed will not

alter the existing hydrogeological characteristics and will not

increase backwater elevation in the Rio Grande by more than one foot.

The bottom of the structure will be 12.13 feet above the International

Boundary and Water Commission's required water surface elevation and

will permit passage under the bridge of the 100-year flood of 181,000

cubic feet per second. The proposal was reviewed by the International

Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and by the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, each of which have concurred in the issuance of a

Permit. Final design of the bridge will require the approval of the

IBWC.

Historical and Archaeological Resources

A programmatic agreement has been executed among the Department of

State, the Advisory Council in Historic Preservation, the Texas State

Historic Preservation Officer, the Texas Department of Transportation

and the City of Laredo, addressing to the satisfaction of those

agencies the City's obligation to avoid, minimize or mitigate the

effects of the bridge project on known and potential historic and

archaeological resources within the construction area. The Presidential

Permit contains a provision that the City notify the United States

Coast Guard if before or during construction historic or archaeological

properties are located and, if construction has already started, cease

construction immediately and prepare a Section 4(f) statement.

Land Use

The bridge and border station site are in an undeveloped area

within the city limits. The City's Future Land Use Plan shows the

project area as open space along the Rio Grande floodplain, retail/

office and warehouse/light industrial. The site is predominantly native

range and brush land. The general trend of growth of the City of Laredo

indicates that the area between the Mines Road and the Rio Grande is

likely to be developed for warehouse, industrial and commercial uses

even in the absence of a border crossing. The opening of a border

crossing will probably accelerate that development. The project will

not alter any park or recreational lands or significantly reduce any

land suitable for agricultural crops.

Threatened and Endangered Species

Construction of the project and subsequent development will not

result in a significant reduction in range and brush land available for

habitat. As noted above, given the trends in growth of the City of

Laredo, such habitat loss as may occur is likely to occur even without

construction of the bridge. Short-term disruption of narrow bands of

vegetation and thickets along the Rio Grande may occur in the course of

construction of the bridge and supporting piers. However, no permanent

structures, other than bridge piers will be placed in this area, and

after construction of the bridge, the area is expected to revegetate.

The City has committed to maintaining the Rio Grande as a corridor for

wildlife. In a seven point mitigation plan accepted by the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service on August 24, 1994, the City agreed, among other

measures, to amend its Land Use Plan, designating the floodplains areas

along the Rio Grande and the arroyos located in the vicinity of the

proposed project as open space. This was accomplished by City Council

resolution of June 27, 1994. The mitigation plan is part of the City's

bridge permit application.

Noise

Modeling of the expected traffic noise levels in the years 2000 and

2010 respectively predicts an hourly A-weighted sound level of 71 to 72

dBA, respectively. These levels do not exceed noise abatement criteria

established by the FHWA. The closest residential area receptor to the

proposed project is a residential unit located approximately 2,050 feet

north of the proposed project site. There is a three decibel reduction

in noise every time the distance between the noise source and the

receptor is doubled. Assuming the noise analysis was conducted on the

centerline of a 300 feet wide right-of-way, the predicated 71 dBA would

be reduced to approximately 30 dBA at the residential unit. Given

reference noise levels of 80 dBA, 77.5 dBA or 75 dBA at 50 feet from

trucks accelerating or decelerating, the noise levels anticipated at

the residential unit would be 64, 61 and 59 dBA respectively, noise

levels that are acceptable for picnic areas, recreation areas,

playgrounds, active sports areas and parks.

Water Quality/Public Water Supply

The area of the bridge and associated development will be served by

the sewage system of the City of Laredo. Existing water treatment

facilities are adequate to handle the increased waste loads anticipated

to be produced as a result of the project. Construction activities may

result in transient impacts on water quality. The Texas Natural

Resource Conservation Commission has stated that its concerns regarding

water quality, including any discharges which may originate from the

project, have been met.

Wetlands

Some minor wetlands are located along the banks of the Rio Grande.

As noted above, construction may have some transient effects on these

areas, but no permanent construction other than bridge piers will occur

in this area which might reduce or otherwise affect the wetlands.

Finding of the Environmental Assessment

On the basis of the Environmental Assessment, information developed

during the review of the City's application and environmental

assessment, and comments received, a finding of no significant impact

(``FONSI'') is adopted and an environmental impact statement will not

be prepared.

Dated: October 3, 1994.

Stephen R. Gibson,

Coordinator, U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs, Office of Mexican Affairs.

[FR Doc. 94-28224 Filed 11-15-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4710-29-M