[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30284-30285]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14625]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Orange, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, 
Westminster, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos and Unincorporated Parts of 
Orange County, CA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an 
environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed highway 
project in Orange County, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
C. Glenn Clinton, Chief, District Operations--South, Federal Highway 
Administration, California Division, 980 Ninth Street, Suite 400, 
Sacramento, California 95814-2724, Telephone: (916) 498-5037.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the California 
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Orange County 
Transportation Authority (OCTA), will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) on a proposal to improve State Route 22 (SR-22) in 
Orange County, California. The project area includes SR-22 from SR-55 
to I-405 (20.1 km), as well as a section of the former Pacific Electric 
right-of-way between SR-22 in the City of Garden Grove and Raitt Street 
in the City of Santa Ana (4.5 km), and I-405 from SR-22 to I-605 (5.3 
km) inclusive of the freeway-to-freeway interchanges, (28.2 km). It is 
known collectively as the SR-22/West Orange County Connection.
    The SR-22/West Orange County Connection has insufficient capacity 
on the freeway and major adjacent surface streets to handle existing 
and projected travel demand between the SR-55 interchange and I-605, 
and to and from destinations within the corridor. The situation is 
aggravated by inadequate freeway interchanges, lack of

[[Page 30285]]

continuous parallel arterial routes and available arterial/intersection 
capacity, absence of alternatives other than single-occupant-vehicle 
travel (HOV lanes or transit services), and lack of a major program of 
Transportation System Management (TSM) strategies.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1) take no action; (2) 
implementation of TSM/Expanded Bus Service; (3) construction of a fixed 
guideway from the MTA Blue Line in Long Beach to the Santa Ana 
Transportation Center; (4) construction of an additional general 
purpose lane in each direction on SR-22 between SR-55 and I-405 and 
construction of a general purpose limited access arterial on the former 
Pacific Electric right-of-way; (5) construction of an HOV lane in each 
direction on SR-22 between SR-55 and I-405, and (6) construction of HOV 
lanes on SR-22, a four-lane HOV section on I-405 between SR-22 and I-
605, development of the Pacific Electric right-of-way as a general 
purpose arterial including direct connector ramps with SR-22, and 
construction of HOV connectors at the SR-22/SR-55 interchange, the I-5/
SR-22 interchange, the SR-22/I-405 interchange, and the I-405/I-605 
interchange.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments are 
being sent to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are 
known to have interest in this proposal. Letters were sent February 25, 
1998, to the resource/regulatory agencies seeking their input as 
cooperating agencies. A public and agency scoping meeting will take 
place on June 23, 1998, from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Garden Grove at 
the Garden Grove Community Center, 11300 Stanford Avenue. A public 
hearing will be held in the Spring of 1999 and a public notice will be 
given of the time and place of the hearing. The draft EIS will be 
available for public and agency review and comment prior to the public 
hearing.
    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 at the address provided above.

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

    Issued: May 7, 1998.
C. Glenn Clinton,
Chief, District Operations--South Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 98-14625 Filed 6-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M