[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 83 (Friday, April 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 25020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10615]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement Prince George's, County, MD

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 a proposed multi-
modal project in Prince George's County, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Pamela Stephenson, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, The Rotunda-
Suite 220, 711 West 40th Street, Baltimore Maryland 21211. Telephone: 
(410) 962-4342.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Maryland 
State Highway Administration, will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve MD 210 in Prince George's 
County, Maryland. This project will consider a balanced and full range 
of Multi-Modal solutions, including intersection improvements, High 
Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, transit enhancement, and interchanges. 
The limits of the project are from MD 228 (Berry Road) to the Capital 
Beltway (I-95/I-495) a distance of approximately 10.2 miles.
    MD 210 provides an essential connection between the Washington, 
D.C. metropolitan area, and residential communities in southern Prince 
George's and northern Charles Counties, accommodating both local and 
long distance trips within the corridor. The MD 210 corridor within the 
study limits currently experience severe traffic congestion during 
morning and evening peak periods. Many commuters currently divert to 
county and local roadways to avoid traffic congestion alone mainline MD 
210. The local roadway network in this area is not designed to handle 
the high volumes of through traffic being diverted from MD 210. The 
resulting congestion on the local roadway network compromises safety 
and contributes to the overall congestion in the MD 210 corridor.
    The expected growth in local traffic from planned development in 
southern Prince George's and Charles Counties will further aggravate 
existing conditions and will result in travel demand for exceeding the 
capacity of the existing transportation system, increasing congestion, 
travel times and accidents rates within the study area. This project 
will evaluate improvements to MD 210, which will address safety 
problems and accommodate existing and projected travel demand, provide 
the desired capacity and decrease travel delays and congestion.
    The alternatives under consideration include (1) no-build, (2) 
intersection improvements, (3) widening to provide a fourth general--
use lane, (4) widening to provide a two-lane reversible HOV facility in 
the median, and (5) construction of interchanges at six locations from 
Kirby Hill Road to Old Fort Road South. It has been determined that no 
single strategy could adequately address the need for this project. 
Therefore, a combination of the alternatives discussed above, along 
with multi-modal enhancements, such as Park & Ride facilities and 
improvements in the existing transit service, will be considered.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, private 
organizations, and to citizens who have previously expressed or are 
known to have an interest in this project. A Public Hearing is 
tentatively scheduled for Fall, 2000. Public notice will be given of 
the time and place of this hearing.
    The Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review and 
comment prior to the Public Hearing. Public notice will be given of the 
availability of the Draft EIS for review. A Formal scoping meeting was 
held for this project on August 15, 1997.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues identified, a focus 
group comprised of local residents, business owners, elected officials, 
county representatives and SHA team members was formed in early 1997. 
The group has met regularly with a total of fourteen meetings to date. 
The group's primary mission is to assist in the development of possible 
solution for the traffic congestion and safety concerns along the MD 
210 corridor. As part of the ongoing alternatives development process, 
SHA is also maintaining extensive coordination with Prince George's 
County, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), 
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Maryland 
Mass Transit Administration regarding the development of this project.
    Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and EIS 
should be directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulation 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation of Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program)
Pamela Stephenson,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Baltimore, Maryland.
[FR Doc. 00-10615 Filed 4-27-00; 8:45 am]
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