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

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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 will be prepared for the Sunset

Interchange modifications and the South Sammamish Plateau Access Road

in the City of Issaquah, King County, Washington.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene Fong, Division Administrator,

Federal Highway Administration, Evergreen Plaza Building, 711 South

Capitol Way, Suite 501, Olympia, Washington 98501, telephone (360) 753-

9413; Robert D. Aye, Acting Northwest Regional Administrator,

Washington State Department of Transportation, 15700 Dayton Ave. N., PO

Box 33310, Seattle, Washington 98133, telephone (206) 440-4693; Dave

Crippen, Supervising Environmental Engineer, King County Department of

Public Works, 400 Yesler Way, Room 400, Seattle, WA 98104-3637,

telephone (206) 296-8092; or Ann DeFee, Grand Ridge Project Manager,

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

Washington 98107, telephone (206) 391-1004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Washington

State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), City of Issaquah and King

County will prepare an environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an

interchange revision at the existing East Sunset Way Interchange on

Interstate 90 (I-90). A new north-south arterial (called the South

Sammamish Plateau Access Road, or South SPAR) will connect the Sunset

Interchange to an intersection with a major east-west arterial in the

southwestern portion of the Grand Ridge Development area. The South

Spar is not expected to be a Federal project, but because its utility

is largely dependent on the interchange project, its impacts are

considered indirect impacts of the interchange project and are being

evaluated in the same document. The South SPAR would be located along

one of several alternative alignments as defined in previous

feasibility studies completed for the project. The project is sponsored

by two private developers, the Grand Ridge Ltd. partnership and the

Glacier Ridge Ltd. Partnership. The I-90 Sunset Interchange revision

would modify the existing partial interchange, which provides only a

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

provides for all traffic movements to and from I-90. The South SPAR

arterial is planned to be a multi-lane road that would provide through-

lanes, turn-lane channelization, bicycle lanes, curb, gutter, sidewalk,

stormwater management, water quality treatment, retaining walls,

bridges, landscaping, signage, lighting, and signalization.

Alternatives under consideration include: a No-Action Alternative and

at least two roadway alignment alternatives for the South SPAR, and

various ramp configurations for the interchange. Analysis will focus on

identifying impacts and mitigation measures and providing information

appropriate to choosing a preferred 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 interchange modification and the roadway

alternatives under consideration.

The EIS will also discuss other cumulative impacts, taking into

consideration two separate but related projects which are in the

planning stage: (1) The proposed Issaquah Southeast Bypass, expected to

connect I-90, in the vicinity of the modified Sunset Interchange, to

Issaquah-Hobart Road; and (2) the proposed North Sammamish Plateau

Access Road (North SPAR), which would provide access from the proposed

South SPAR to the existing intersection of Issaquah-Pine Lake Road

Southeast and Issaquah-Fall City Road Southeast. The North SPAR 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 the North SPAR will be incorporated into the Sunset

Interchange/South SPAR EIS to address secondary and cumulative impacts.

A project-specific EIS has not been initiated for the Issaquah

Southeast Bypass; therefore, this section of the corridor will also be

addressed in the Sunset Interchange/South SPAR EIS in a general way in

the discussion of secondary and cumulative impacts. The overall roadway

corridor will be examined in sections with logical termini and

independent utility. The sections are: (1) ``Southeast Issaquah

Bypass'', Issaquah-Hobart Road to I-90, approximately 2.4 km (1.5

mile); (2) ``I-90 Sunset interchange modifications and South Sammamish

Plateau Access Road (South SPAR)'', I-90 to a major east-west arterial

approximately 1.6 km (1 mile) north of I-90; and (3) ``North Sammamish

Plateau Access Road (North SPAR)'', a proposed 1.3 km (0.8 mile) road

from the major arterial approximately 1.6 km (1 mile) north of I-90

continuing north to the Issaquah-Fall City Road.

The purpose of the proposed projects is to provide improved auto,

transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access to existing and future

residential and commercial developments contained in the approved City

of Issaquah and King County Comprehensive Plans. The project will

improve existing congestion along Issaquah-Fall City Road, Issaquah-

Pine Lake Road, and the Front Street interchange at I-90. Approved land

use plans indicate the area will see significant increases in

population within the near future.

Environmental issues of concern to be addressed in the EIS include

steep slopes, wetlands, air quality, fisheries resources and water

quality in local streams and Lake Sammamish. 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. A scoping meeting is

planned to be held in March 1996. The public and all affected agencies

will be invited to attend. A public notice will be given of the time

and place of the meeting.

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 on Federal programs and activities apply to this

program)

Issued on: February 23, 1996.

Michael R. Brower,

Urban Transportation Engineer, Olympia, WA.

[FR Doc. 96-5351 Filed 3-6-96; 8:45 am]

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