66714 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 244 / Friday, December 19, 1997 / Notices

Transportation, State Campus, 1220

Washington Avenue, Albany, New York

12232, Telephone: (518) 457–6452.

or

Duane L. Dodds, Director, Office of

Facilities Design, New York State

Thruway Authority, 200 Southern

Boulevard, Albany, New York 12209,

Telephone: (518) 436–2916.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The New

York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA)

and the New York State Department of

Transportation (NYSDOT), in

cooperation with the Federal Highway

Administration (FHWA), will be

preparing an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for a proposed

intermodal project in the Towns of New

Windsor, Montgomery and Newburgh,

Orange County, New York. The project

will involve the construction of an

interchange on Interstate 84 with Drury

Lane, the construction of an east/west

connector road between Drury Lane and

the Stewart Airport and the widening

and reconstruction of Drury Lane

between Route 207 and Route 17K.

Improvements are necessary to develop

a more direct access between Stewart

Airport and the regional highway

system and to stimulate the local and

regional economy through the

development of the Stewart Airport

Properties in the vicinity of Drury Lane

and the development of the airport in

accordance with the Stewart Airport

Master Plan.

Alternatives under consideration

include (1) taking no action; (2)

construction of an interchange on

Interstate 84 with Drury Lane,

construction of a four lane connector

road between Drury Lane and the

Stewart Airport and the widening and

reconstruction of Drury Lane between

its intersections with Route 207 and

Route 17K, including the widening of

Drury Lane to four lanes between the

Stewart Airport connector road and I84.

Incorporated into and studied with the

build alternative will be variations of

grade and alignment.

Letters describing the proposed action

and soliciting comments will be sent to

appropriate Federal, State, and local

agencies, and to private organizations

and citizens who have previously

expressed interest in this proposal. A

formal NEPA scoping meeting will be

held for federal, state and local officials

on January 14, 1998 at 2:00 P.M. at the

New Windsor Town Hall and for the

public on January 14, 1998 at 7:00 P.M.

at the Little Britain Elementary School

Auditorium in the Town of New

Windsor. In addition, a public hearing

will be held. Public notice will be given

of the time and place of the hearing. The

draft EIS, when prepared, will be

available for public and agency review

and comment.

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 EIS should be

directed to the FHWA, NYSDOT, or

NYSTA at the addresses provided

above.

(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: December 10, 1997.

Harold J. Brown,

Division Administrator, Federal Highway

Administration, Albany, New York.

[FR Doc. 97–33138 Filed 12–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

Petition for a Waiver of Compliance

In accordance with Title 49 Code of

Federal Regulations (CFR) §§ 211.9 and

211.41, notice is hereby given that the

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

has received a request for a waiver of

compliance with certain requirements of

the Federal railroad safety regulations.

The individuals petition is described

below, including the party seeking

relief, the regulatory provisions

involved, the nature of the relief being

sought and the petitioner’s arguments in

favor of relief.

Northeast Illinois Railroad Corporation

[FRA Waiver Petition No. WPS 97–10]

Northeast Illinois Railroad

Corporation, (‘‘Metra,’’) seeks a

permanent waiver of compliance from

certain provisions of the Federal

Roadway Worker Protection Standards,

Subpart C of 49 CFR, part 214.

Metra requests relief of 49 CFR

214.337 to the extent that lone workers

would be permitted to use individual

train detection as a method of on-track

safety while operating powered snow

blowers on and near the tracks at station

platforms and related crosswalks.

In support of the petition, Metra states

that:

‘‘Snowfalls which begin prior to or

during the rush hours require extensive

lone worker participation utilizing

powered snow blowers to make the

platforms and crosswalks safe for our

customers * * *

During the times when lone workers

utilize I.T.D. (Individual train detection)

as their form of protection with powers

tools being used the following

procedure is required:

1. Will conduct a statement of on

track safety. Will contact the train

dispatcher and determine if any

unscheduled trains are in the area.

2. Will determine that scheduled

trains are on time.

3. When blowing snow from the

platform within the 4 foot envelope will

face the direction a train will approach

from and keep a vigilant lookout for

such trains.

4. Will blow snow from crosswalks

only when safe to do so.

FRA should look at the safety risks to

passengers as platforms where snow

removal is not completed within the

envelope of danger due to the

constraints placed on lone workers

when using power tools.’’

Interested parties are invited to

participate in this proceedings by

submitting written views, data, or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with this proceeding since

the facts do not appear to warrant a

hearing. If any interested party desires

an opportunity for oral comment, they

should notify FRA, in writing, before

the end of the comment period and

specify the basis for their request.

All communications concerning these

proceedings should identify the

appropriate docket number (e.g., Waiver

Petition Docket Number WPS–97–10)

and must be submitted in triplicate to

the Docket Clerk, Office of Chief

Counsel, FRA, Nassif Building, 400

Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20590. Communications received within

30 days of the date of this notice will

be considered as far as practicable. All

written communications concerning this

proceeding are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) at FRA’s

temporary docket room located at 1120

Vermont Avenue, N.W., Room 7051,

Washington, D.C. 20005.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on December

15, 1997.

Grady C. Cothen,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety

Standards and Program Development.

[FR Doc. 97–33178 Filed 12–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–M