Environmental Impact Statement: Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler Counties, PA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement: Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler

Counties, PA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

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 improvement in the vicinity of northern Allegheny County

and southern Beaver and Butler Counties in southwestern Pennsylvania

locally known as the Crows Run Transportation Study.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David W. Cough, P.E., District Engineer, Federal Highway

Administration, 228 Walnut Street, Room 558, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,

17101-1720. Telephone: (717) 782-3410 or Henry Nutbrown, P.E., District

Engineer, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 45 Thomas Run

Road, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, 15017. Telephone: (412) 429-5084.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), will prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a west-east transportation

improvement within the study area of Traffic Route 65 (western

terminus) to Traffic Route 19 and Interstate 79 (eastern terminus). The

proposed study area includes Conway Borough, New Sewickley Township and

Economy Borough in Beaver County, Cranberry and Jackson Townships in

Butler County and Marshall Township in Allegheny County. The

approximate length of the project is nine miles.

The purpose of the transportation improvement is to improve west-

east access from the Ohio River Valley to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and

Interstates 279 and 79. The project needs, which have been identified,

are to develop a transportation improvement to: alleviate congestion,

to address projected increases in traffic volumes, to provide an

improved west-east connector between major north-south routes, to

improve vertical and horizontal geometry, to accommodate truck traffic,

and to improve safety.

Alternatives that will be considered in the EIS include: (1) The

No-Build; (2) Congestion Management Strategies (CMS), (3) Upgrade of

existing roadways within the study area and (4) CMS and Upgrades.

Through preliminary engineering and environmental studies, new

alignment alternatives such as a new four lane facility north or south

of Freedom Road were dismissed as these alternatives do not meet the

project need and potentially have significant environmental impacts.

The EIS will discuss the findings of these preliminary studies.

The following environmental areas will be investigated for

inclusion in the EIS: Project Need; Traffic; Safety; Air Quality; Noise

and Vibration; Socioeconomic and Land Use; Environmental Justice;

Community Cohesion, Facilities and Services; Property Acquisition and

Displacements; Historic and Archaeological Sites; Residual and

Hazardous Waste Sites; Soils and Geology; Floodplains; Surface and

Ground Water; Aquatic Environment; Wetlands; Threatened and Endangered

Species; Vegetation and Wildlife; Agricultural Lands; Aesthetics;

Construction Impacts; Energy and Section 4(f) resources.

A Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) has been formed to solicit

information from the community and to present the environmental

process, project scoping and environmental studies to community

representatives for distribution. The CAC is also responsible for

advising PennDOT of the community's concerns and to evaluate the

information presented and decisions to be made.

Periodic meetings are scheduled with state and federal

environmental agencies through Agency Coordination Meetings (ACM) to

present project information on scoping and the project development

process. ACM will also be used to receive comments and direction from

the agencies on the development of the project alternatives, the

assessment of impacts and the identification of mitigation measures.

Public meetings have been and will continue to be held throughout

the development of the EIS for the general public and agencies. Public

notices of the time and place of these meetings and the public hearing

will be published in area newspapers. A project Mailing List and

Project Newsletter have been established to inform the public of

project milestones. The draft EIS will be available for public and

agency review and comment prior to the public

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hearing. No formal scoping meeting is planned at this time.

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

action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments

and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments and

questions concerning the proposed action should be directed to the FHWA

or PennDOT at the addresses provided above.

(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)

Issued on: January 29, 1997.

J. Stephen Guhin,

Assistant Division Administrator, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

[FR Doc. 97-3144 Filed 2-7-97; 8:45 am]

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