Environmental Impact Statement: Denver, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement: Denver, Arapahoe, and Douglas

Counties

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit

Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent and public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA and FTA are jointly issuing this notice to advise the

public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for the

proposed transportation improvements in the Southeast Corridor of the

Denver metropolitan area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Vincent P. Barone, FHWA Colorado Division, 555 Zang Street, Room

250, Denver, Co 80228, Telephone: (303) 969-6730, extension 369

Mr. David L. Beckhouse, FTA Region VIII, 216 16th Street Mall, Suite

650, Denver, CO 80202, Telephone (303) 844-3242

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA and FTA, in cooperation with the

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), hereby give notice that

they intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in

accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for

transportation improvements in the Southeast Corridor of the Denver

metropolitan area. This EIS will

[[Page 7045]]

evaluate the No Build, and a Light Rail Transit alternative (including

highway improvements and transportation management solutions) in the I-

25 Southeast Corridor study limits from Broadway to Lincoln Avenue,

which includes I-225 from I-25 to Parker Road, and determine the

estimated costs and potential impacts associated with each. CDOT will

be the local lead agency for the preparation of the EIS. The EIS also

will satisfy the requirements of the 1999 Clean Air Act Amendments.

Scoping will be accomplished through coordination with affected

parties, organizations, federal, state and local agencies and through

three public meetings which will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at

the following locations and dates:

Tuesday, March 31, 1998, Castlewood Public Library, 6739 South Uinta

Street, Denver, CO 80112

Thursday, April 2, 1998, Most Precious Blood Catholic School, 2250

South Harrison, Denver, CO 80210

Tuesday, April 7, 1998, Hebrew Educational Alliance, 3600 South

Ivanhoe, Denver, CO 80237

A 45-day scoping period will begin on March 4, 1998 and conclude on

April 17, 1998. Written comments on the scope of the alternatives and

impacts to be considered must be received by CDOT by April 17, 1998.

Written comments on project scope should be sent to:

Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, Region 6 Planning and Environmental Manager CDOT,

2000 South Holly Street, Denver, CO 80222 Telephone: (303) 757-9818

or

Mr. John Basner, Region 6 South Area Program Engineer, CDOT, 2000 South

Holly Street, Denver, CO 80222, Telephone: (303) 757-9387

FHWA, FTA, CDOT, and other local agencies invite interested

individuals, organizations, and federal, state and local agencies to

participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS and

identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues

related to the alternatives. An information packet describing the

purpose of the project, the proposed alternatives, the areas to be

evaluated, the citizen involvement program, and the preliminary project

schedule will be developed. These scoping materials may be requested by

contacting Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, Region 6 Planning and Environmental

Manager, or Mr. John Basner, Region 6 South Area Program Engineer, at

the address and phone numbers above. Scoping comments may be made

verbally at the public scoping meetings or in writing. The public will

receive notices on location and time of the scoping meetings through

newspaper advertisements and individual correspondence.

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

action are addressed and all significant issues are identified,

comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. If

you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further

information as the project develops, contact Mr. Robert Sakaguchi, or

Mr. John Basner, as previously described.

The proposed action is consistent with the recently completed

Southeast Corridor Major Investment Study. It begins at approximately

I-25 and Broadway and proceeds south and southeast to Lincoln Avenue

following the general alignment of I-25. Also included is a segment

along I-225 from I-25 to Parker Road. The proposed action excludes any

proposed roadway improvements near I-25 from 6th Avenue to

approximately the Logan Street crossing, including the I-25

interchanges at Alameda, Santa Fe, and Broadway. Transit and highway

improvements are intended to alleviate traffic congestion in the

Southeast Corridor, address safety problems and help achieve regional

air quality goals by providing an alternative to the single occupant

vehicle.

The alternatives to be evaluated include the following. The No-

Build alternative will serve as the baseline for environmental analysis

and consists of the existing transit and highway systems and all

projects contained in the federally approved Transportation Improvement

Program (TIP) for the Denver metropolitan area. The Light Rail Transit

(LRT) alternative will generally use the I-25 right-of-way between

Broadway and Lincoln Avenue, and the I-225 right-of-way between I-25

and Parker. This alternative, designed to accommodate future

transportation needs, also includes improvements to the highway,

transportation systems management, and pedestrian facilities in the

study area.

FHWA, FTA, and CDOT will evaluate all significant social, economic,

and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The primary areas of

examination will include transit ridership, the capital outlays needed

to construct the recommended alternative, the cost of operating and

maintaining facilities created by the project, and the financial

requirements on the funding agencies. Environmental and social impacts

to be evaluated in the analysis include land use and neighborhood

impacts, traffic and parking impacts near stations, visual impacts,

hazardous material impacts, impacts on cultural and paleontological

resources, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on natural areas,

threatened and endangered species, air and water quality, groundwater,

and geological forms will also be covered. The impacts will be

evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period

of operation. Measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts will be

developed.

In accordance with the Federal Transit Act, as amended, and FHWA

and FTA policy, the draft EIS will be prepared with required

engineering design studies necessary to complete the document. After

its publication, the draft EIS will be available for public and agency

review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the basis of

the Draft EIS and the comments received, a preferred alternative will

be selected and preparation of the Final EIS and Record of Decision

will proceed.

(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 5, 1998.

Ronald A. Speral,

Environmental/ROW Program Manager Colorado Division

Federal Highway Administration,

Lakewood, Colorado.

Louis F. Mraz, Jr.,

Regional Administrator,

Federal Transit Administration,

Region VIII

Denver, Colorado.

[FR Doc. 98-3409 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]

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