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[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 153 (Friday, August 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46420-46421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18779]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers

Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Proposed SR 1409 (Military Cutoff Road) Extension and Proposed 
US 17 Hampstead Bypass New Hanover and Pender Counties in North 
Carolina, NCDOT TIP Projects U-4751 and R-3300

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District, 
Wilmington Regulatory Division is issuing this notice to advise the 
public that a State of North Carolina funded Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) has been prepared for a road improvement project 
starting at Military Cutoff Road in New Hanover County to north of 
Hampstead along US 17, Pender County, NC (TIP Projects U-4751 and R-
3300).

DATES: Written comments on the FEIS will be received until September 8, 
2014.

ADDRESSES: Mr. Brad Shaver, Regulatory Project Manager, Wilmington 
Regulatory Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., Wilmington, NC 28403 or 
Mr. Jay McInnis, Project Engineer, North Carolina Department of 
Transportation, 1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and FEIS can be directed to Mr. Brad Shaver, COE--Regulatory Project 
Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4611 or Mr. Jay McInnis Jr., P.E., 
NCDOT--Project Engineer, telephone: (919) 707-6029.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE in cooperation with the North 
Carolina Department of Transportation prepared a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS), originally published in 2011, on a proposal to 
make transportation improvements to the US 17 and Market Street (US 17 
Business) corridor in northern New Hanover and southern Pender 
Counties. Two North Carolina Department of Transportation Improvement 
Program (TIPs U-4751 and R-3300) projects are being evaluated as part 
of the US 17 Corridor Study.
    The purpose of the US 17 Corridor Study project is to improve the 
traffic carrying capacity and safety of the US 17 and Market Street 
corridor in the project area. The project study area is roughly bounded 
on the west by I-40, on the north by the Northeast Cape Fear River, 
Holly Shelter Game Lands to the east, and Market Street and US 17 to 
the south.
    This project is being reviewed through the Merger 01 process 
designed to streamline the project development and permitting 
processes, agreed to by the COE, North Carolina Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (Division of Water Quality, Division 
of Coastal Management), Federal Highway Administration (for this 
project not applicable), and the North Carolina Department of 
Transportation and supported by other stakeholder agencies and local 
units of government. The other partnering agencies include: U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; N.C. 
Wildlife Resources Commission; N.C. Department of Cultural Resources; 
and the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Merger 
process provides a forum for appropriate agency representatives to 
discuss and reach consensus on ways to facilitate meeting the 
regulatory requirements of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act during 
the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of transportation projects.
    Through input from the public and resource agencies the project was 
changed to include a second interchange at the northern terminus. These 
changes were considered substantial changes and the public was given 
opportunity again to comment through the release of a supplement Draft 
EIS published in October 2013. Comments were received on both the Draft 
and Supplement Draft EIS which have been addressed in this FEIS. The 
original Draft EIS, Supplement DEIS, and FEIS is available for review 
on the project Web page: http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/US17HampsteadBypass/.
    Any person having difficulty in viewing the document online can 
contact the COE project manager or the NCDOT project manager for a CD 
copy of the document.
    After distribution and review of Final EIS, the Applicant 
understands that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue a Record 
of Decision (ROD) for the

[[Page 46421]]

project at the time of permit application from the North Carolina 
Department of Transportation. The ROD will document the completion of 
the EIS process and will serve as a basis for permitting decisions by 
this federal agency.
    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 or 
questions concerning this proposed action and the FEIS should be 
directed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the address provided. 
The Wilmington District will periodically issue Public Notices 
soliciting public and agency comment on the proposed action and 
alternatives to the proposed action as they are developed.

    Dated: August 1, 2014.
Henry Wicker,
Assistant Chief, Wilmington Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-18779 Filed 8-7-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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