[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 158 (Friday, August 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43769-43770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21644]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Johnston, Rhode Island

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), RIDOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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[[Page 43770]]

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 one-way 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]
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