Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 74 / Monday, April 20, 2009 / Notices 18031 

[FR Doc. E9–8994 Filed 4–17–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–C 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement: 

Kings County, NY 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), USDOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI). 

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this 

notice to advise the public and other 

agencies that a tiered environmental 

impact statement (EIS) will be prepared 

for a proposed project involving 

approximately 1.5 miles of the 

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE), 

Interstate 278 (I–278) in Kings County, 

New York (Project Identification 

Number X730.56). This segment of the 

BQE extends from Atlantic Avenue to 

Sands Street and encompasses 21 

structures, including a unique 0.4-mile 

triple cantilever structure. The objective 

of the tiered EIS is to evaluate 

alternatives and make corridor level 

decisions regarding the rehabilitation or 

reconstruction of the existing facility 

and to identify a general alignment and 

corridor for proposed improvements. 

The tiered approach will allow for a 

broad range of solutions and the 

appropriate consideration of area wide 

environmental and land use impacts, 

including the maintenance and 

protection of traffic during construction. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jeffrey W. Kolb, P.E., Division 

Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration, New York Division, Leo 

W. O’Brien Federal Building, Suite 719, 

Clinton Avenue and North Pearl Street, 

Albany, New York 12207, Telephone: 

(518) 431–4127; or Fred Libove, P.E., 

Project Development Supervisor, New 

York State Department of 

Transportation, Region 11, Hunters 

Point Plaza, 47–40 21st Street, Long 

Island City, New York 11101, 

Telephone: (718) 482–4565. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

FHWA, in cooperation with the New 

York State Department of 

Transportation (NYSDOT), will prepare 

a tiered EIS that will study and 

document proposed improvements to a 

1.5-mile segment of the BQE (I–278) 

between Atlantic Avenue and Sands 

Street in Kings County, New York (the 

Project). The Project would be the first 

major rehabilitation or reconstruction of 

this segment of the BQE/I–278 since its 

opening in 1954. Based on the results of 

on-site inspections of 14 of the 21 

structures as documented in a June 2002 

Seismic Evaluation Report (SER) 

prepared for the NYSDOT, and the 

results of recent inspections of the 

remaining seven structures, the current 

overall condition of this segment of the 

BQE is safe for use by the public. 

However, the SER and subsequent 

inspections of the structures, indicate 

that corrective action will be required 

within the next 10 to 15 years to 

maintain this segment of the BQE in a 

state of good repair. 

Need for the Project: The segment of 

the BQE/I–278 under consideration 

carries a daily volume of approximately 

140,000 vehicles and is a critical 

transportation link in the New York City 

metropolitan area that serves the needs 

of the Boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, 

Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island, as 

well as areas outside New York City. 

The most important bridge along this 

segment of the BQE is the unique triple 

cantilevered structure. This multi-level 

structure carries six lanes of the BQE. 

The eastbound and westbound 

roadways, with three lanes each, are 

carried at separate levels. The eastbound 

lanes are located above the westbound 

lanes. Furman Street, an important local 

connector, runs parallel to the highway 

at grade below the westbound lanes of 

the BQE. A third cantilever above the 

eastbound lanes of the highway 

supports the Brooklyn Heights 

Promenade, a key community resource 

that provides spectacular views of the 

East River, Lower Manhattan and the 

Statue of Liberty. The remaining bridges 

within this segment of the BQE are 

comprised of multi-girder steel and 

concrete-encased steel structures. 

Indirect and circuitous connections 

between the Brooklyn and Manhattan 

Bridges and the BQE add to the 

complexity of this segment of the 

highway. 

The segment of highway within the 

project limits is characterized by narrow 

lanes (10.5 feet), lack of shoulders, and 

short merge/weave distances near onramps and off-ramps that do not meet 

current highway design standards. 

These deficiencies, combined with 

vertical clearance constraints, and the 

approximately 140,000 vehicles using 

this segment of the highway each day, 

result in the highway operating at or 

above capacity during most of the day. 

Severe congestion throughout much of 

the midday and the diversion of the 

highway traffic, particularly truck traffic 

because of the vertical clearances, onto 

local streets are also operational 

deficiencies. 

Based on the results of the SER and 

periodically scheduled inspections of 

the facility by NYSDOT and the New 

York City Department of Transportation 

(NYCDOT), which owns the facility 

within the project limits, the NYSDOT 

and FHWA convened an Accelerated 

Construction Technology Transfer 

(ACTT) workshop in March 2006 

attended by a broad range of public 

agency staff and private consultants to 

consider potentially viable options for 

rehabilitating or replacing the 

structures, and on ways to alleviate the 

severe congestion experienced by 

motorists along this segment of the 

BQE/I–278. Issues considered in 

identifying and evaluating possible 

alternatives during the ACTT workshop 

included constructability, 

environmental impacts, geometric 

design considerations, public 

involvement/concerns, structural 

considerations, traffic, safety, use of 

intelligent transportation systems (ITS), 

and work zone concerns. Although the 

ACTT workshop reached no final 

recommendation on which alternative 

should be pursued to address the 

structural deterioration or operational 

issues affecting this segment of the BQE/ 

I–278, the results of the ACTT workshop 

confirmed the need for a more 

comprehensive examination of 

alternative rehabilitation or 

reconstruction options. The results of 

the SER and ACTT workshop will be 

considered in the environmental review 

process initiated with this NOI. 

Environmental Review Process: The 

EIS will be developed in accordance 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 (NEPA), the environmental 

review provisions of Section 6002 of the 

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 

Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for 

Users (SAFETEA–LU), and the New 

York State Environmental Quality 

Review Act (SEQRA). The FHWA and 

the NYSDOT will use a tiered process, 

as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28, in 

the completion of the environmental 

review of the Project. ‘‘Tiering’’ is a 

staged environmental review process 

applied to environmental reviews for 

complex projects. 

The initial phase (‘‘Tier 1 EIS’’) of this 

process will address broad corridorlevel issues and proposals. Subsequent 

phases or tiers will analyze, at a greater 

level of detail, narrower site-specific 

proposals based on the decisions made 

in Tier 1. 

Tier 1: Although open to refinement 

based on public and agency review and 

comment, the Tier 1 assessment will 

result in a NEPA document with the 

appropriate level of detail for corridorlevel decisions and will address broad 

overall issues of concern, including but 

not limited to: 


rmajette on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
18032 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 74 / Monday, April 20, 2009 / Notices 

—Confirm the purpose and need for the 

proposed action. 

—Determine the logical termini for the 

proposed action. 

—Define the study area appropriate to 

assess reasonable alternatives. 

—Identify a comprehensive set of goals 

and objectives for the corridor in 

conjunction with Stakeholders and 

Steering Committee members. These 

goals and objectives will be crafted to 

allow comprehensive evaluation of all 

aspects of the project to include 

alignment, mode, limits, etc. 

—Identify the range of reasonable 

alternatives to be considered, 

including consideration of travel 

demand management, transportation 

systems management, and transit 

options consistent with the current 

and planned use of the corridor and 

the transit needs and existing services 

within and adjacent to the study area. 

—Develop criteria and screen 

alternatives to eliminate those that do 

not meet the purpose and need of the 

proposed action. 

—Identify the general alignment of the 

reasonable alternatives. 

—Identify right-of-way requirements for 

the reasonable alternatives. 

—Characterize the overall land use and 

environmental consequences of the 

reasonable alternatives. 

—Establish, as necessary, the timing and 

sequencing of independent actions to 

maintain a state of good repair. 

—Establish the environmental review 

process to be followed in completing 

subsequent tier evaluations of the 

proposed Project. 

Tier 2: The second tier assessment 

will result in more detailed assessments 

of a range of build alternatives within 

the general corridor and alignment 

identified in the Tier 1 EIS. These 

evaluations will be based on a higher 

level of engineering detail and 

environmental analysis than in the Tier 

1 evaluation. It is anticipated that the 

subsequent evaluation(s) will: 

—Incorporate by reference the data and 

evaluations included in the Tier 1 

EIS. 

—Concentrate on the issues specific to 

the selected alternative identified in 

the Tier 1 EIS. 

—Provide a more detailed evaluation of 

transit accommodations if carried 

forward from Tier 1. 

—Screen the identified alternatives to 

determine the alternative that best 

meets the purpose and need for the 

proposed action. 

—Identify the environmental 

consequences at a higher level of 

detail than in the Tier 1 assessment 

and identify measures necessary to 

mitigate environmental impacts based 

on a higher level of engineering detail 

than in the Tier 1 EIS. 

—Establish, as necessary, the timing and 

sequencing of independent actions to 

maintain a state of good repair. 

Notice of Initiation of the 

Environmental Process and Request to 

Public Agencies to Become Participating 

Agencies in the Environmental Review 

Process: In accordance with Section 

6002 of SAFETEA–LU, letters will be 

sent to all Federal, State and local 

agencies, and to private organizations 

and citizens who have previously 

identified and/or expressed interest in 

the project, notifying them of the 

initiation of the environmental process 

and requesting that they be included as 

participating agencies or parties in the 

environmental review process. Once the 

Draft EIS is certified as complete, it will 

be made available for further public and 

agency review and comment. 

Scoping Process: To assure that the 

full range of issues related to the 

proposed action is addressed and all 

significant issues identified, FHWA and 

NYSDOT will undertake an extensive 

public ‘‘scoping process’’ that will allow 

the public and affected agencies to 

provide comment on the scope of the 

environmental review process. To 

facilitate public comment, a Draft EIS 

Scoping Document will be prepared for 

public review and comment. Included 

in the Draft Scoping Document will be 

draft descriptions of: 

—Purpose and Need for the Project. 

—Alternatives for Study. 

—Public Involvement Process. 

—Environmental Impact Assessment 

Methodologies and Study Areas. 

A separate notification will be 

published regarding the availability of 

the Draft Scoping Document for public 

review. Additional opportunities for 

comment will also be provided through 

a series of public participation 

activities. These include: 

—Public scoping meetings on the EIS 

will be held at a venue within the 

project study area, during which the 

public will be provided with a 

description of information included 

in the Draft Scoping Document and 

opportunity to comment on the scope 

of the DEIS. NYSDOT personnel will 

be available at the scoping meetings to 

answer questions concerning the 

Project and proposed scope of the 

DEIS. 

—Direct discussions with agencies and 

organizations with jurisdiction or 

interest in the project corridor and 

project area. 

—Briefings to elected officials. 

—A project Web site that will allow the 

public to provide comment over the 

Internet. 

Comments received from any of these 

activities and sources will be considered 

in the development of the 

environmental document. 

Public Hearing: A public hearing will 

be held after publication of the Tier 1 

DEIS to obtain comments on that 

document. Public notice will be given 

prior to the hearing regarding its time 

and location and process for submitting 

comment. 

Project Funding: The proposed project 

will be funded in part through Federal 

programs which assist State 

transportation agencies in the planning 

and development of an integrated, 

interconnected transportation system 

important to interstate commerce and 

travel by constructing and rehabilitating 

the National Highway System, including 

the Interstate System. 

(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: April 14, 2009. 

Jeffrey W. Kolb, 

Division Administrator, Federal Highway 

Administration, New York Division, Albany, 

New York. 

[FR Doc. E9–8978 Filed 4–17–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration 

[Docket No. RITA 2009–0001] 

Establishing Strategic Direction for the 

Intelligent Transportation Systems 

Program 

AGENCY: Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration (RITA), 

DOT. 

ACTION: Request for public comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Transportation’s (DOT) Intelligent 

Transportation Systems Joint Program 

Office (ITS JPO) is requesting public 

comments on the proposed direction, 

goals, and objectives for the multimodal ITS Program over the next five 

years. Comments will be used to shape 

a multi-year, strategic, research agenda 

that will result in an ITS Program 

Strategic Plan in October 2009. 

Respondents to this RFI are invited to 

comment on any of the items; in 

particular, respondents are encouraged 


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