1364 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 7 / Thursday, January 11, 2007 / Notices 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969, regulations of the 

Council on Environmental Quality (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508, and FHWA 

regulations, guidance and policy. 

Anticipated Federal approvals/actions 

needed for this project to be constructed 

include permits for Sections 401 and 

404 of the Clean Water Act (U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers), issuance of a 

Biological Opinion by the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service through consultation as 

required by Section 7 of the Endangered 

Species Act, and compliance with 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act. 

Cooperating Agencies: There are no 

cooperating agencies yet identified for 

this project. 

DATES: Comments on the scope of the 

EIS for the proposed project should be 

received no later than January 31, 2007. 

Comments and questions should be 

directed to the address listed below. 

Public comments are welcome anytime 

during the NEPA process and should be 

directed to the address listed below. 

Additional formal opportunities for 

public participation after the Public 

Scoping are tentatively scheduled as 

follows: 

Review and comment of Draft EIS 

(including a public hearing): Fall of 

2009. 

Review of Final EIS: Fall 2010. 

Notices of availability for the Draft 

EIS, Final EIS and Record of Decision 

will be provided through direct mail, 

the Federal Register and other media. 

Notification also will be sent to Federal, 

State, local agencies, persons, and 

organizations that submit comments or 

questions. Precise schedules and 

locations for public meetings will be 

announced in the local news media. 

Interested individuals and organizations 

may request to be included on the 

mailing list for the distribution of 

meeting announcements and associated 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ed 

Johnson, Field Operations Engineer; 

Federal Highway Administration, 3050 

Lake Harbor Lane, Suite 126, Boise, 

Idaho, 83703, Telephone: (208) 334–

9180; or Gwen Smith, GARVEE Public 

Involvement Coordinator, Idaho 

Transportation Department, P.O. Box 

7129, Boise, Idaho 83707–1129, 

Telephone: (208) 334–4444; or Steve 

Alters, CIP, 720 Park Blvd, Boise, Idaho, 

83729, Telephone: (208) 386–5004. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access 

An electronic copy of this document 

may be downloaded using a modem and 

suitable communications software from 

the Government Printing Office’s 

Electronic Bulletin Board Service at 

(202) 512–1661. Internet users may 

reach the Office of the Federal 

Register’s home page at: http://www/ 

nara.gov/fedreg and the Government 

Printing Office’s database at: http:// 

www.access.gpo.gov.nara. 

Background 

The FHWA in cooperation with the 

Idaho Department of Transportation 

(ITD), and Connecting Idaho Partners 

(CIP) will prepare an EIS to identify an 

alignment for the extension of State 

Highway 16 (SH 16) from SH 44 (State 

Street) to Interstate 84 (I–84) in Ada 

County, Idaho. This extension includes 

a new bridge across the Boise River. 

Notice is hereby given that the public 

scoping process has been initiated to 

prepare an EIS that will address the 

impacts of and alternatives to the 

proposal. The purpose of the scoping 

process is to solicit public comment 

regarding the full spectrum of issues 

and concerns, including a suitable range 

of alternatives, and the nature and 

extent of potential environmental 

impacts and appropriate mitigation 

measures that should be addressed in 

the EIS process. The EIS will examine 

the short and long-term impacts of a 

reasonable range of alternatives, 

including the no action alternative, on 

the natural, physical, and human 

environments. The impacts assessment 

will include, but not be limited to, 

impacts on wetlands, wildlife, and 

fisheries; social environment; changes 

in land use; aesthetics; changes in 

traffic; and economic impacts. 

Environmental Justice (as outlined in 

Executive Order 12898) will also be 

addressed as part of the impact 

assessment. The EIS will also examine 

measures to mitigate adverse impacts 

resulting from the proposed action. 

Comments are being solicited from 

Federal, State, and local agencies and 

from private organizations and citizens 

who have interest in this proposal. 

Public information meetings will be 

held in the project area to discuss the 

potential alignments. The draft EIS will 

be available for public and agency 

review, and a public hearing will be 

held to receive comments. Public notice 

will be given of the time and place of 

all meetings and hearings. 

Comments and/or suggestions from all 

interested parties are requested, to 

ensure that the purpose and need for the 

project, the full range of all issues, and 

significant environmental issues in 

particular, are identified and reviewed. 

Comments or questions concerning this 

proposed action and/or its EIS should 

be directed to the FHWA, ITD or CIP at 

the addresses listed previously. 

It is anticipated that a draft EIS will 

be available in the Fall of 2009. 

(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 

proposed Action.) 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 23 CFR 771.123; 

49 CFR 1.48. 

Issued on: January 7, 2007. 

Stephen Moreno, 

Idaho Division Administrator, FHWA. 

[FR Doc. 07–64 Filed 1–10–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–RY–M 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Preparation of a Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement on 

the Jacksonville, Florida Rapid Transit 

System 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

programmatic environmental impact 

statement. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration, in cooperation with 

Jacksonville (Florida) Transportation 

Authority, is planning to prepare a 

programmatic environmental impact 

statement for the proposed expansion of 

and improvements to the Jacksonville 

Rapid Transit System, a busway serving 

the greater Jacksonville area. The 

programmatic environmental impact 

statement will be prepared in 

accordance with regulations 

implementing the National 

Environmental Policy Act, as 

supplemented by the joint Federal 

Transit Administration—Federal 

Highway Administration National 

Environmental Policy Act procedures. 

The purpose of this notice of intent is 

to alert interested parties regarding the 

plan to prepare the programmatic 

environmental impact statement, to 

provide information on the nature of the 

proposed transit program, to invite 

public participation in the impact 

statement process, including comments 

on this notice, and to announce that 

public scoping meetings will be 

conducted. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice, 

including the scope of study and 

impacts to be considered, should be sent 

to Ms. Suraya Teeple, Senior 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 7 / Thursday, January 11, 2007 / Notices 1365 

Transportation Planner, by February 1, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this 

notice should be sent to Ms. Suraya 

Teeple, Senior Transportation Planner, 

Jacksonville Transportation Authority, 

Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, 

Florida 32202. 

Public scoping meetings will be held 

at the following dates, times, and 

locations. 

Monday, January 29, 2007, from 4:30–

7:30 p.m. Northwest Library, 1755 

Edgewood Avenue West, Jacksonville, 

Florida 32208. 

Tuesday, January 30, 2007, from 4:30–

7:30 p.m. FCCJ Deerwood Center, 

9911 Old Baymeadows Road, 

Jacksonville, Florida 32256. 

Wednesday, January 31, 2007, from 

4:30–7:30 p.m. Regency Square 

Library, 9900 Regency Square Blvd., 

Jacksonville, Florida 32225. 

Thursday, February 1, 2007, from 4:30–

7:30 p.m. FCCJ Kent Campus, 3939 

Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 

32205. 

Individuals who may require special 

accommodations should contact Ms. 

Winova Hart, Project Coordinator, 

Jacksonville Transportation Authority, 

Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, 

Florida, 32203 (Telephone (904) 630–

3185) at least 48 hours in advance of a 

meeting in order for Jacksonville 

Transportation Authority to make the 

necessary arrangements. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Tajsha LaShore, Transportation Program 

Specialist, Federal Transit 

Administration, Atlanta Regional Office 

at (404) 562–3506. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Proposed Program: The proposed 

program grew out of a 1998 study of the 

Rapid Transit System, a busway serving 

the greater Jacksonville area, which has 

been funded in part by a one-half cent 

sales tax approved in 2000. The Rapid 

Transit System’s proposed alignments 

are located in major corridors—the 

North corridor, extending from the 

Jacksonville central business district 

(CBD) north to Norwood Avenue; the 

East corridor, extending from the CBD 

east to Regency Square Mall; the 

Southeast corridor, extending from the 

CBD southeast to Baymeadows Road; 

and the Southwest corridor, extending 

from the CBD southwest to 103rd Street/ 

Timuquana Road—that serve and 

connect employment centers and 

residential areas. A full description of 

the system, complete with maps, may be 

obtained upon request, and will be 

available at each public scoping 

meeting. Additional information on the 

Regional Transit System can also be 

found on the Jacksonville 

Transportation Authority Web site at 

http://www.jtafla.org. The proposed 

program is consistent with the approved 

Long Range Transportation Plan of the 

First Coast Metropolitan Planning 

Organization. The objective of this 

programmatic—also known as Tier 1—

impact statement process is to settle on 

alignments within system corridors to 

enable right-of-way acquisition to 

proceed, thereby avoiding additional 

delays that would serve to increase the 

overall cost of the program. 

Purposes of and Need for the 

Proposed Program: Recent studies of the 

corridors to be served by the proposed 

program revealed the need for 

transportation improvements, including 

a wider range of mobility options, to 

meet increasing travel demand within 

and through the corridors. Transit 

service delivery options are undergoing 

major changes in the greater 

Jacksonville area in response to 

changing demographics. Jacksonville is 

geographically expansive, with multiple 

employment centers both downtown 

and in suburban areas. Additionally, 

Jacksonville has an increasingly elderly 

population occurring naturally with 

long term residents and with inmigration from other States and south 

Florida. Jacksonville also has 

experienced increases in suburban 

employment centers and increases in 

downtown residential development 

along with continued suburban 

residential development. Regional 

Transit System improvements are 

designed to accommodate these 

changing circumstances. 

Alternatives: By and large, the 

proposed program is substantially 

identical to a locally preferred 

alternative that was adopted in 2005 at 

the conclusion of alternatives analysis 

studies. This programmatic impact 

statement process will examine the 

transit system as a whole with a view 

toward settling on alignments within 

the four corridors identified above. 

Refinements to various alignments will 

be explored. These refinements will be 

developed in consultation with State 

and local agencies and the surrounding 

community in the context of the 

programmatic impact statement. The 

intent of the refinements is to stay 

generally within the original corridor 

while seeking to enhance ridership 

potential, reduce costs where feasible, 

and mitigate adverse environmental 

impacts. Major components of the entire 

system will be phased in over time. A 

site-specific environmental process will 

be undertaken for each component. 

For this programmatic examination, 

the only other alternative currently 

under consideration is a no-build 

alternative. The no-build alternative 

serves as the baseline against which 

environmental effects of other 

alternatives, including the proposed 

program, may be measured. 

The Programmatic Environmental 

Impact Statement Process and the Role 

of the Public: The purpose of the 

programmatic impact statement process 

is to explore in a public setting 

potentially significant effects of 

implementing the proposed program, 

particularly as it relates to alignment 

options within the system, on the 

physical, human, and natural 

environment. Areas of investigation 

include, but are not limited to, land use, 

development potential, land acquisition 

and displacements, historic resources, 

visual and aesthetic qualities, air 

quality, noise and vibration, energy use, 

safety and security, and ecosystems, 

including threatened and endangered 

species. Measures to avoid, minimize, or 

mitigate any significant adverse impacts 

will be identified. 

Regulations implementing the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), as well as provisions of the 

joint Federal Transit Administration—

Federal Highway Administration 

National Environmental Policy Act 

procedures, call for public involvement 

in the impact statement process. The 

scoping meetings announced above are 

designed to provide the public with the 

most meaningful opportunity to 

participate knowledgeably in this 

process. 

Comments in response to this notice 

on potentially significant environmental 

impacts that may be associated with the 

proposed program are welcomed. There 

will be additional opportunities to 

comment in the scoping process at the 

public meetings announced above. 

Issued on: January, 5, 2007. 

Yvette G. Taylor, 

Regional Administrator, FTA Region 4. 

[FR Doc. 07–89 Filed 1–10–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 


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