Environmental Impact Statement: City of Issaquah, King County, Washington

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement: City of Issaquah, King County,

Washington

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 (EIS) will be prepared for the Southeast

Issaquah Bypass project in the City of Issaquah, King County,

Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gene K. Fong, Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration,

Evergreen Plaza Building, 711 South Capitol Way, Suite 501, Olympia,

Washington 98501, telephone (360) 753-9413; Jerry W. Alb, Director,

Environmental Services, Washington State Department of Transportation,

310 Maple Park East, PO Box 47331, Olympia, Washington 98504-7331,

telephone (360) 705-7480; or Ann DeFee, Project Manager, Department of

Public Works, City of Issaquah, PO Box 1307, Issaquah, Washington

98027, telephone (206) 557-2571.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Washington

State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the City of Issaquah

will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a new bypass

arterial approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mile) long, intending to connect I-

90 in the vicinity of the Sunset Interchange, with Issaquah-Hobart

Road. The Southeast Issaquah Bypass would be located along an alignment

which will be selected as part of the EIS process. It is anticipated

the alignment will likely be similar to one of several alternative

alignments defined in previous feasibility studies completed for the

project.

The bypass arterial is planned to be a two-way road that would

provide through-lanes and turn-lane channelization at main

intersections. The road may be urban or rural in section, or a

combination thereof, with features such as bicycle lanes, curb, gutter,

sidewalk, stormwater management, water quality treatment, retaining

walls, bridges, landscaping, highway signs, lighting, and signalization

as determined appropriate during the EIS and design studies.

Alternatives under consideration include: a No-Action Alternative

and at least two roadway alignment alternatives (generally within, but

not restricted to, a previously identified corridor). The corridor

broadens in width at the south end and may include more than two

locations and geometric

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configurations for the intersection with Issaquah-Hobart Road.

Reasonable alternatives identified during the scoping process will also

be evaluated. Analysis will focus on identifying impacts and mitigation

measures, and providing information appropriate to choosing a preferred

alignment alternative from among the alternatives identified through

the scoping and public involvement process.

The EIS will identify direct, secondary and cumulative impacts

associated with the roadway alternatives under consideration. The EIS

will also address other cumulative impacts, taking into consideration

two separate but related projects which are currently in the

preliminary design phase, and are undergoing separate environmental

review: (1) The proposed South Sammamish Plateau Access Road (South

SPAR) and Sunset Interchange modification project, and (2) the proposed

North Sammamish Plateau Access Road (North SPAR).

The South SPAR and Sunset Interchange modification project would

connect the Sunset Interchange with a major east-west arterial in the

southwestern portion of the Grand Ridge Development area and modify the

existing partial interchange, which presently provides only a west

bound off-ramp and east on-ramp, to a full interchange that provides

for all traffic movements to and from I-90. It is sponsored by the

Washington State Department of Transportation, City of Issaquah, King

County, and two private developers (Grand Ridge Ltd. Partnership and

Glacier Ridge Ltd. Partnership). It is being addressed in a separate

project-specific EIS written in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The North SPAR project would connect the proposed South SPAR with

the existing intersection of Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Southeast and

Issaquah-Fall City Road Southeast. The North SPAR project is a King

County-sponsored project separate from the Sunset Interchange/South

SPAR project, with its own logical termini and independent utility. It

will be addressed in a separate project-specific EIS written in

accordance with the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

Relevant information about various environmental issues related to

both the Sunset Interchange/South SPAR EIS and the North SPAR EIS will

be incorporated into the Southeast Issaquah Bypass EIS to address

secondary and cumulative impacts.

The purpose of the proposed Southeast Issaquah Bypass project is to

provide arterial access to I-90 in the vicinity of the Sunset

Interchange for Issaquah traffic and Hobart area traffic; to provide a

bypass of the City of Issaquah Central Business District, thereby

reducing Issaquah congestion; to support adopted City and Region

comprehensive land use plans and their fulfillment, which today are

suffering from violations of level of transportation concurrency

standards; and to satisfy all of the above purposes in a multimodal

context with improved auto, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access to

existing and future land uses.

Environmental issues of concern to be addressed in the EIS include

transportation; air quality; noise; land use and social elements;

wetlands; biological resources (wildlife and vegetation); fisheries

resources; water quality (surface and ground water); floodplains;

hazardous materials; historic, archaeological and cultural resources;

waterways and hydrological systems (surface and groundwater quantity);

soils and topography; geologic hazards; energy; and visual impacts.

Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will be

sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, appropriate

Native American tribes, and to private organizations and citizens who

have expressed, or are known to have, an interest in this proposal. An

agency scoping meeting will be held on December 9, 1996 from 1:30 p.m.

to 3:30 p.m. at the City of Issaquah's Council Chambers, 135 East

Sunset Way, Issaquah, Washington. A public scoping meeting will be held

on December 9, 1996 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Issaquah High School

Commons, 700 Second Avenue SE, Issaquah, Washington. The public and all

affected agencies will be invited to attend the meetings. Public notice

will be given of the time and place of the meetings.

To assure that the full range of issues related to this proposed

action are addressed and all significant issues are identified,

comments are invited from all interested parties. Comments and

suggestions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to the FHWA at the address provided.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,

Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations

implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental

consultation of federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on November 8, 1996.

Jose M. Miranda,

Environmental Program Manager, Olympia, WA.

[FR Doc. 96-29602 Filed 11-19-96; 8:45 am]

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