Environmental Impact Statement; in the Vicinity of the City and Borough of Juneau, AK

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement; in the Vicinity of the City and

Borough of Juneau, AK

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an

environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed

transportation project to provide improved surface access to and from

Juneau in the Southeast panhandle of Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Phillip Smith, Field Operations Engineer, Region 10, Alaska

Division, Federal Highway Administration, P.O. Box 21648, Juneau,

Alaska, 99802-1648, Telephone: (907) 586-7428, or Mr. Pat Kemp,

Regional Pre-Construction Engineer, Alaska Department of Transportation

and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF), Southeast Region, 6860 Glacier

Highway, Juneau, Alaska, 99801-7999, Telephone: (907) 465-4428.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the ADOT&PF

(Southeast Region) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for a proposal to build a highway through rugged, mountainous terrain.

This highway will increase statewide interchange and commerce between

central, interior and southeast Alaska. It will meet existing and

future demands for moving vehicles, passengers, and freight between

Juneau and the land highway network of the North American continent

(the continental highway system).

The project eliminates a major gap in the land highway network of

the North American continent. This network reaches to within fifty

miles of the Juneau road system. instead of a highway, surface access

to and from Juneau is provided by scheduled sailings of state ferries.

The maximum frequency of service is one trip a day during the summer

months. Demand for travel between Juneau and the continental highway

system now exceeds the space available for many summer-time sailings.

It is difficult to reserve vehicle (and sometimes passenger) space for

many departures. Without reservations, most travelers are unlikely to

attempt the trip. These service characteristics delay or prevent the

movement of passengers, vehicles and freight.

The aim of this project is to provide transportation that is

available on-demand and at a reasonable cost to both the state and the

highway user. On-demand transportation means the ability to depart on a

trip whenever desired, as opposed to tailoring the trip to the

schedules of either state ferries, air carriers or barge lines.

Reasonable cost to the highway user means reducing both road and/or

ferry and barge expenses to expenses comparable to making a similar

trip on a land highway. In addition, reasonable costs include reducing

total travel time to less than three hours between Juneau and the

continental highway system. Reasonable cost to the state means reducing

and/or eliminating the use of state ferries if substitute service can

be provided by other means such as a land highway. In support of these

transportation goals, the Alaska Legislature appropriated funding to

ADOT&PF for preparation of an EIS for the proposed project.

Alternatives under consideration include the following: (1) Taking

no action, in which access to and from Juneau continues to rely on

state ferries; (2) Constructing a highway from Juneau to the

continental highway system at Skagway, which includes a bridge to

Haines. Phased construction would include a ferry shuttle across Lynn

Canal from a temporary terminal on the Katzehin River flats, which

could serve Haines and Skagway; (3) Establishing shuttle ferry service

from the east side to the west side of Lynn Canal, with construction of

a highway from the east side ferry terminal to the continental highway

system near Haines. This could include some form of ferry service to

Skagway; (4) Constructing a highway east from Juneau up the Taku River

Valley as far as the Canadian border, with a Canadian connection to the

continental highway system either south of Atlin or west of Dease Lake.

Both Atlin and Dease Lake are in the province of British Columbia,

Canada; (5) Enhancing the service capabilities of state ferries between

Juneau, Haines and Skagway; and (6) Constructing a ``summer-use only''

highway on either the east or west sides of Lynn Canal. This

alternative assumes the road link would not be maintained in the

winter, when travelers would continue to rely on state ferries. On-

demand transportation would thus be provided during the summer-time

periods of peak demand.

Announcements describing the proposed action and soliciting

comments will be sent to appropriate federal, state, and local

agencies. They will also be sent to private organizations, businesses

and citizens known to have an interest in the proposal. Public scoping

meetings will be held in Juneau, Haines and Skagway in Early March of

1994. The resulting draft EIS will be available for public and agency

review and comment. Public hearings will be scheduled to accept formal

comments on the draft EIS. Public notices will be issued to announce

the times and places of all meetings and hearings.

It is important that the full range of issues related to this

proposed action be addressed and that all significant issues be

identified, thus comments and suggestions are invited from all

interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this proposed

action and the EIS should be directed to the FHWA or ADOT&PFT the

addresses or phone numbers provided.

Research, (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number

20.205, Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental

consultation of Federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on: January 27, 1994.

Robert E. Ruby,

Division Administrator, Juneau.

[FR Doc. 94-3146 Filed 2-9-94; 8:45 am]

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