43770 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 1997 / Notices

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this

notice to advise the public that an

Environmental Impact Statement will be

prepared for the development of

Improved Highway Access to the

Environmental Management District of

Western Johnston and Cranston.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dan Berman, Assistant Division

Administrator, Federal Highway

Administration, 380 Westminster Mall,

Room 547, Providence, RI, 02903,

Telephone: (401) 528–4560. OR

Edmund T. Parker, Jr., P.E., Chief Design

Engineer, Rhode Island Department of

Transportation, 2 Capitol Hill, Room

231–D, Providence, RI, 02903,

Telephone: (401) 277–4911.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

FHWA, in cooperation with the Rhode

Island Department of Transportation

(RIDOT) and the Rhode Island Resource

Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), will

prepare the Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for the development of

Improved Highway Access to the

Environmental Management District of

Western Johnston and Cranston.

This EIS will investigate scientific

and engineering studies and other

activities necessary to determine the

environmental and socioeconomic

impacts of various alternative routing

scenarios to improve the highway access

to the Environmental Management

District.

Improved highway access is deemed

necessary because of the high volume of

heavy truck traffic generated daily by

the industries located there. There are

currently between 1,200 and 1,500 oneway trips into the District by heavy

trucking to serve the Central Landfill

and the Materials Recycling Facility,

both of which are operated by the Rhode

Island Resource Recovery Corporation,

nine private waste management firms,

and a number of heavy industry waste

management satellite firms, all of which

are located in the Environmental

Management District.

It is expected that the daily volume of

heavy trucking into and out of the

District will expand appreciably and

steadily into the foreseeable future.

Most of the truck traffic is currently

utilizing Rhode Island Route 14

(Plainfield Pike), which is also rapidly

developing as a commercial artery. The

objective of this project is to determine

the best route, if any, alternative to the

existing principal access now provided

by Plainfield Pike. This would

accommodate the increasing volume of

heavy trucking safely and efficiently

and eliminate or minimize the negative

impacts of such heavy industrial

trucking on the commercial and retail

development potential of Plainfield

Pike.

A cursory review of the project area

and existing roadways was performed

using the 1996 Aerial Topographic

Mapping provided by the RIRRC, and

USGS Quadrangle Maps. This review

identified three (3) different options for

an improved access roadway to the site

with enough merit to be considered for

further evaluations. The following

paragraphs give a brief discussion of

each option.

Option No. 1—No Build/Green Hill

Avenue and Shun Pike

This option would consist of

maintaining the current infrastructure as

it is today. The industrial park site

currently can be accessed by

commercial vehicles from Plainfield

Pike (Rte 14) via Green Hill Road and

Shun Pike. Both of these raodways do

not have the structural capacity to

support the proposed traffic volumes

from the industrial park at build-out.

Therefore, Green Hill Avenue, a section

of Shun Pike from Green Hill Avenue to

the proposed industrial park, and the

access roadway would be maintained as

two (2) twelve foot (12′) travel lanes

with paved shoulders and would be

structurally upgraded from their present

capacity.

Option No. 2—New Access Roadway

From Comstock Parkway to Site

This option would consist of

constructing a roadway on new location

from the intersection of the Plainfield

Pike and Comstock Parkway in a

northerly direction to the industrial

park site. The roadway would travel

somewhat parallel to the Simmons

Lower Reservoir, then cross between the

Simmons Upper and Lower Reservoirs

at an existing earthen causeway and

then turn north to Shun Pike.

Option No. 3—New Diamond

Interchange at I–295 and Scituate

Avenue

This option would consist of

constructing new I–295 northbound

‘‘on’’ and ‘‘off’’ ramps and new I–295

southbound ‘‘on’’ and ‘‘off’’ ramps at the

existing Scituate Avenue overpass to

create a new ‘‘Diamond’’ style

interchange. Also, Scituate Avenue will

be reconstructed from the interchange to

the site; and on the easterly side of the

interchange, Scituate Avenue would be

broken into two (2) segments by

installing two (2) new cul-de-sacs.

Finally, a section of Shun Pike would be

reconstructed to provide better access to

the Central Landfill.

A scoping meeting to discuss the

environmental impacts will be held on

Wednesday September 15, 1997, from

9:00 am to 12:00 am, in the Rhode

Island Resource Recovery Corporation

Board Room. Written comments

received will be incorporated into this

NEPA scoping process.

In addition, a public hearing will be

held in June 1998 to receive verbal

comments regarding the Environmental

Impact Statement. Public notice will be

given of the time and place of the public

hearing. The draft EIS will be available

for public and agency review and

comment prior to the public hearing.

To provide that a full range of issues

related to this proposed action are

addressed and all significant issues are

identified, comments and suggestions

regarding this scoping session are

invited from all interested parties.

Comments or questions concerning this

proposed action and the EIS should be

directed to the Rhode Island Department

of Transportation at the above address.

Dan Berman,

Assistant Division Administrator, Federal

Highway Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–21644 Filed 8–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[Docket No. 97–052; Notice 1]

Notice of Receipt of Petition for

Decision That Nonconforming 1996–

1997 Ducati 748 Biposto Motorcycles

Are Eligible for Importation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of petition for

decision that nonconforming 1996–1997

Ducati 748 Biposto motorcycles are

eligible for importation.

SUMMARY: This document announces

receipt by the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a

petition for a decision that 1996–1997

Ducati 748 Biposto motorcycles that

were not originally manufactured to

comply with all applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety standards are

eligible for importation into the United

States because (1) they are substantially

similar to vehicles that were originally

manufactured for importation into and

sale in the United States and that were

certified by their manufacturer as

complying with the safety standards,

and (2) they are capable of being readily

altered to conform to the standards.

DATES: The closing date for comments

on the petition is September 15, 1997.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 158 / Friday, August 15, 1997 / Notices 43771

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

the docket number and notice number,

and be submitted to: Docket Section,

Room 5109, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St.,

SW, Washington, DC 20590. (Docket

hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George Entwistle, Office of Vehicle

Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202–366–

5306).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A), a

motor vehicle that was not originally

manufactured to conform to all

applicable Federal motor vehicle safety

standards shall be refused admission

into the United States unless NHTSA

has decided that the motor vehicle is

substantially similar to a motor vehicle

originally manufactured for importation

into and sale in the United States,

certified under 49 U.S.C. 30115, and of

the same model year as the model of the

motor vehicle to be compared, and is

capable of being readily altered to

conform to all applicable Federal motor

vehicle safety standards.

Petitions for eligibility decisions may

be submitted by either manufacturers or

importers who have registered with

NHTSA pursuant to 49 CFR part 592. As

specified in 49 CFR 593.7, NHTSA

publishes notice in the Federal Register

of each petition that it receives, and

affords interested persons an

opportunity to comment on the petition.

At the close of the comment period,

NHTSA decides, on the basis of the

petition and any comments that it has

received, whether the vehicle is eligible

for importation. The agency then

publishes this decision in the Federal

Register.

Champagne Imports, Inc. of Lansdale,

Pennsylvania (‘‘Champagne’’)

(Registered Importer 90–009) has

petitioned NHTSA to decide whether

1996–1997 Ducati 748 Biposto

motorcycles are eligible for importation

into the United States. The vehicles

which Champagne believes are

substantially similar are 1996–1997

Ducati 916 motorcycles that were

manufactured for importation into, and

sale in, the United States and certified

by their manufacturer as conforming to

all applicable Federal motor vehicle

safety standards.

The petitioner claims that it carefully

compared non-U.S. certified 1996–1997

Ducati 748 Biposto motorcycles to their

U.S. certified counterparts, and found

the vehicles to be substantially similar

with respect to compliance with most

Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Champagne submitted information

with its petition intended to

demonstrate that non-U.S. certified

1996–1997 Ducati 748 Biposto

motorcycles, as originally

manufactured, conform to many Federal

motor vehicle safety standards in the

same manner as their U.S. certified

counterparts, or are capable of being

readily altered to conform to those

standards.

Specifically, the petitioner claims that

non-U.S. certified 1996–1997 Ducati 748

Biposto motorcycles are identical to

their U.S. certified counterparts with

respect to compliance with Standard

Nos. 106 Brake Hoses, 111 Rearview

Mirrors, 116 Brake Fluid, 119 New

Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles other than

Passenger Cars, and 122 Motorcycle

Brake Systems.

Petitioner also contends that the

vehicles are capable of being readily

altered to meet the following standards,

in the manner indicated:

Standard No. 108 Lamps, Reflective

Devices and Associated Equipment:

Installation of U.S.-model headlamp

assemblies.

Standard No. 120 Tire Selection and

Rims for Vehicles other than Passenger

Cars: Installation of a tire information

placard.

Standard No. 123 Motorcycle Controls

and Displays: Installation of a U.S.

model speedometer calibrated in miles

per hour.

The petitioner also states that vehicle

identification number plates meeting

the requirements of 49 CFR part 565

will be affixed to non-U.S. certified

1996–1997 Ducati 748 Biposto

motorcycles.

Comments should refer to the docket

number and be submitted to: Docket

Section, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, Room 5109, 400

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC

20590. It is requested but not required

that 10 copies be submitted.

All comments received before the

close of business on the closing date

indicated above will be considered, and

will be available for examination in the

docket at the above address both before

and after that date. To the extent

possible, comments filed after the

closing date will also be considered.

Notice of final action on the petition

will be published in the Federal

Register pursuant to the authority

indicated below.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30141 (a)(1) (A) and

(b)(1); 49 CFR 593.8; delegations of authority

at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Issued on: August 11, 1997.

Marilynne Jacobs,

Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.

[FR Doc. 97–21605 Filed 8–14–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

[Docket No. 97–053; Notice 1]

Notice of Receipt of Petition for

Decision That Nonconforming 1992

and 1994–1997 BMW 750iL Passenger

Cars Are Eligible for Importation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of petition for

decision that nonconforming 1992 and

1994–1997 BMW 750iL passenger cars

are eligible for importation.

SUMMARY: This document announces

receipt by the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a

petition for a decision that 1992 and

1994–1997 BMW 750iL passenger cars

that were not originally manufactured to

comply with all applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety standards are

eligible for importation into the United

States because (1) they are substantially

similar to vehicles that were originally

manufactured for importation into and

sale in the United States and that were

certified by their manufacturer as

complying with the safety standards,

and (2) they are capable of being readily

altered to conform to the standards.

DATES: The closing date for comments

on the petition is September 15, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

the docket number and notice number,

and be submitted to: Docket Section,

Room 5109, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St.,

SW, Washington, DC 20590. (Docket

hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George Entwistle, Office of Vehicle

Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202–366–

5306).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A), a

motor vehicle that was not originally

manufactured to conform to all

applicable Federal motor vehicle safety

standards shall be refused admission

into the United States unless NHTSA

has decided that the motor vehicle is

substantially similar to a motor vehicle

originally manufactured for importation

into and sale in the United States,