[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 54 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13426-13427]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7080]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Yamhill County, OR

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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[[Page 13427]]

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to all concerned that an 
environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed 
transportation improvement project in the Newberg-Dundee area in 
Yamhill County, Oregon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elton Chang, Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, 
530 Center Street NE., Suite 100, Salem, Oregon, 97301, Telephone: 
(503) 399-5749, Fax: (503) 399-5838, or Dick Upton, Economic 
Partnerships Unit, Oregon Department of Transportation, 2950 State 
Street, Room 120, Salem, Oregon, 97310, Telephone: (503) 986-5816, Fax: 
(503) 986-5813.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Oregon 
Department of Transportation, will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on a set of multi-modal solutions to transportation 
problems identified on the Pacific Highway West (Highway 99W) through 
Newberg and Dundee area, in Yamhill County, Oregon. The proposed 
alternatives will be solutions to the increasing travel demands in and 
through the Newberg-Dundee area which exceeds the capacity of the 
existing transportation system. Specifically, weekday as well as 
weekend travel demands exceed available capacity, the highway's 
physical features constrain traffic, and few transit options are 
available within the corridor. Several user groups compete for limited 
capacity, including commuters, freight, local trips, and tourist/
recreation trips between the Portland Metropolitan Area and the Oregon 
Coast. Traffic congestion is expected to worsen in the future on 
Highway 99W as Yamhill County's population and tourist activity 
increase. Continued traffic congestion will inconvenience travelers; 
divert trips to alternative routes through the communities; impede 
freight movement; alter commuting patterns; reduce the ability of some 
local businesses to attract and serve customers; and adversely affect 
pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular access and safety.
    As a first step in the environmental review process, a corridor-
level alternatives analysis will be conducted. Alternatives currently 
being studied are multimodal, and it is expected that the preferred 
alternative will be a combination of a number of modes with other 
measures to address the transportation problem. Alternatives being 
considered in the NEPA process include the base conditions (no action 
alternative), transportation system management, capacity improvements 
to Highway 99W (including widening the existing route), a bypass north 
of Highway 99W from east of Newberg to south of Dundee, a bypass south 
of Highway 99W from east of Newberg to the Highway 99W/Highway 18 
intersection, a bypass from the Highway 99W/Highway 18 intersection to 
Interstate 5, commuter train service between McMinnville and the 
Portland Metropolitan Area on improved trackage, and light rail transit 
service between McMinnville and the Portland Metropolitan Area on new 
trackage. All alternatives will include planned projects and those 
likely to occur by 2020. All except the base condition alternative will 
include transportation system management, demand management and land 
use elements. All of the highway alternatives will also include express 
bus elements. Bypass alternatives will include consideration of tolls 
as a funding source.
    These multi-modal alternatives will be screened by considering 
their relative ability to meet travel needs, human health and safety, 
environmental quality, community economics, socio/cultural quality, 
project cost and implementability objectives. The alternatives that 
best meet these objectives will be refined and screened again. The 
preferred multi-modal alternative(s) resulting from this process and 
the base conditions alternative will be examined in detail in an EIS. 
Preparation of the DEIS is expected to begin early in 1998.
    Newsletters describing alternatives analysis activities and 
soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, local 
agencies, private organizations and individuals who have expressed or 
are known to have an interest in this improvement project. A Project 
Oversight Steering Team (POST), comprised of elected officials and 
transportation agency representatives, will direct project work and 
make recommendations to the Oregon Transportation Commission and 
affected local jurisdictions. A Project Advisory Committee, comprised 
of representatives of a broad range of stakeholder interests, will make 
recommendations to the POST. An Agency Advisory Committee, comprised of 
representatives of Federal and State resource agencies, will meet 
periodically to provide information on key decision points. Several 
public workshops will be held in the project area during the process to 
solicit information on issues that should be addressed, evaluation 
criteria that should be used, and alternatives that should be evaluated 
as well as to present results of the alternatives evaluation and to 
solicit opinions on the preferred alternative. Public notice will be 
given of the times and locations of the meetings. These outreach 
activities, taken together, will function as part of the scoping 
process for the project. A formal scoping meeting is expected to be 
scheduled for the summer of 1997.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues are identified, 
comments, and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. 
Comments and questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS 
should be directed to the FHWA at the address provided.

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation of federal programs and activities apply to this 
program)

    Issued on: March 12, 1997.
Elton Chang,
Environmental Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Salem, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 97-7080 Filed 3-19-97; 8:45 am]
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