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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 185 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59122-59123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24485]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers

Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
in Cooperation With the North Carolina Department of Transportation for 
Improvements to the US 17 and Market Street (US 17 Business) Corridor 
in Northern New Hanover and Southern Pender Counties, NC

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 Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) has been prepared describing proposed improvements to 
the transportation system 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 Draft EIS will be received until 
November 1, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Mr. Brad Shaver, Regulatory Project Manager, Wilmington 
Regulatory Field Office, 69 Darlington Ave., Wilmington, NC 28403 or 
Ms. Olivia Farr, Project Development Engineer, North Carolina 
Department of Transportation (NCDOT), 1548 Mail Service Center, 
Raleigh, NC 27699-1548.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Brad Shaver, COE--Regulatory Project 
Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4611 or Ms. Olivia Farr, NCDOT--Project 
Development Engineer, telephone: (919) 733-7844, ext. 253.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE in cooperation with the North 
Carolina Department of Transportation has prepared a DEIS 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.
    In 2006 the project was presented to Federal and State Resource and 
Regulatory Agencies to gain concurrence on the purpose and need for the 
project. The aforementioned purpose and need of the project was agreed 
upon by participating agencies in September of 2006. In January 2007, 
the project was again presented to participating agencies regarding the 
preliminary corridor screening process in an attempt to decide which 
alternatives would be carried forward for detailed analysis. In August 
of 2007, the alternatives to carry forward were identified. The COE has 
worked closely with NCDOT and its representatives to identify 
jurisdictional resources within the alternatives carried forward. Upon 
completion of the DEIS, NCDOT submitted a request to the COE to solicit 
comment from the public in order to identify the Least Environmentally 
Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) for the project. This 
determination is expected in late 2011.
    Citizen public hearings are being scheduled by NCDOT for the Fall 
of 2011 at which time citizens will be able

[[Page 59123]]

to voice their opinions on the LEDPA decision.
    The DEIS is available on the COE Web site at: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Wetlands/Projects/HampsteadBypass and also 
available on the NCDOT Web site at: http://www.ncdot.org/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 the Draft EIS and Final EIS, the 
Applicant understands that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 
coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation will 
issue a Record of Decision (ROD) for the project. The ROD will document 
the completion of the EIS process and will serve as a basis for 
permitting decisions by Federal and State agencies.
    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 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: September 15, 2011.
S. Kenneth Jolly,
Chief, Wilmington Regulatory District.
[FR Doc. 2011-24485 Filed 9-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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