[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54101-54102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-18047]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Washington, DC

AGENCIES: U.S. Federal Highway Administration, District of Columbia 
Division; District of Columbia, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in coordination 
with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) in 
Washington, DC is issuing this notice to advise agencies and the public 
that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be prepared to 
asses the impacts of the proposed transportation improvements to the 
11th Street Bridges.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Federal Highway Administration, 
District of Columbia Division: Mr. Michael Hicks, Environmental/Urban 
Engineer, 1900 K Street, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20006-1103, (202) 
219-3513; or Mr. John Deatrick, Deputy Director/Chief Engineer, 
District of Columbia, Department of Transportation, 64 New York Avenue, 
NE., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 671-2800.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review of transportation 
improvement alternatives for the 11th Street Bridges will be conducted 
in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4371, et seq.), 
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), FHWA Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 771.101-771.137, et 
seq.), and all applicable Federal, State, and local government laws, 
regulations, and policies.
    Public Scoping Meetings: DDOT will solicit public and agency 
comments through public scoping, including scoping meetings, on the 
proposed action. To ensure that the full range of issues is identified 
early in the process, comments are invited from all interested and/or 
potentially affected parties. The location and time for each meeting 
will be publicized in local newspapers and elsewhere. Written comments 
will be accepted throughout this process and can be forwarded to John 
Deatrick at the address provided above.
    Meeting dates, times, and locations will be announced on the 
project Web site accessible at http://www.11thStreetBridgesEIS.com and 
in the following newspapers: The Washington Post, The Washington Times, 
The Hill Rag, and East of the River.
    Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and may also be 
obtained in advance of the meetings by contacting Mr. John Deatrick. 
Scoping materials will be made available on the project Web site. Oral 
and written comments may be given at the scoping meetings. Comments may 
also be sent to the address above.

Description of Primary Study Area and Transportation Needs

    The existing 11th Street Bridges cross the Anacostia River in the 
southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia. They connect the 
Southeast Freeway (I-395) and the Anacostia Freeway (I-295) and they 
connect to local streets on both sides of the river. Existing ramps 
provide only partial movement between the freeways. The project area 
includes both interchanges, both bridges, and the associated ramps.
    The purpose of the 11th Street Bridges project is to improve 
connectivity across the Anacostia River to serve local traffic reaching 
residential, employment, and commercial centers on opposite sides of 
the river and to serve regional traffic moving between the major 
employment center of downtown Washington, DC and residential 
communities in Maryland and Virginia. The DDOT proposes to improve this 
traffic flow by replacing or reconstructing the pair of one-way bridges 
and completing the now missing traffic movements to the Anacostia 
Freeway and the 11th Street Bridges.
    The 11th Street Bridges project, as defined in the Anacostia 
Waterfront

[[Page 54102]]

Initiative (AWI) Framework Plan, is intended to provide better access 
to waterfront areas east and west of the river, including Anacostia 
Park, separate local traffic from regional commuter traffic, and better 
serve historic Anacostia, and near southeast neighborhoods. It will 
connect the Southeast Freeway with traffic to and from both directions 
of the Anacostia Freeway. The AWI seeks to restore the river's water 
quality, reclaim the waterfront as a magnet of activity, and stimulate 
sustainable development in waterfront neighborhoods. The improvement of 
traffic flow across the 11th Street Bridges is a step in the 
reinvestment and reclamation process.

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

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: September 7, 2005.
Gary L. Henderson,
Division Administrator, District of Columbia Division, Federal Highway 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-18047 Filed 9-12-05; 8:45 am]
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