30902 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 105 / Wednesday, June 2, 2010 / Notices 

Issued on: May 26, 2010. 

Stephen R. Kratzke, 

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking. 

[FR Doc. 2010–13122 Filed 6–1–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Supplemental Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement; U.S. 231 Dubois 

County, IN 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), in cooperation 

with the Indiana Department (INDOT), 

is issuing this notice to advise the 

public that FHWA will prepare a 

Supplemental Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the U.S. 

231 Jasper Huntingburg project in 

Dubois County, Indiana. 

Since publication of the 2004 U.S. 231 

Draft EIS in March 2004, FHWA and 

INDOT has continued to evaluate the 

project and has developed additional 

alternatives for consideration. The 

SDEIS will re-evaluate the Preferred 

Alternative identified in the 2004 U.S. 

231 DEIS and compare those impacts to 

the additional build alternatives. The 

SDEIS will focus on the project 

modifications, the existing environment 

and impacts, and any new information 

that has developed since the 2004 DEIS 

as required by 23 CFR 771.130. 

DATES: Comments on the scope of the 

SDEIS for the proposed project should 

be forwarded no later than July 2, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments 

concerning this notice to Tim Miller, 

Environmental Manager, HNTB Indiana, 

Inc., 111 Monument Circle, Suite 1200, 

Indianapolis, IN 46204, Telephone: 

(317) 636–4682, E-mail: 

tnmiller@hntb.com. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Janice Osadczuk, Planning/ 

Environmental Specialist, Federal 

Highway Administration, Indiana 

Division, 575 North Pennsylvania 

Street, Room 254, Indianapolis, Indiana, 

Telephone: (317) 226–7486. 

SUPPLEMENTARY BACKGROUND

INFORMATION: U.S. 231 extends 

approximately 304 mi from U.S. 60 in 

Owensboro, Kentucky, north through 

Indiana to U.S. 41 near the Illinois 

border. Due to the importance of the 

route, U.S. 231 is included in the 

National Highway System (NHS). The 

NHS includes all Interstate routes, a 

large percentage of roads classified as 

principal arterial highways and roads 

important for national defense. The 

NHS includes 5 percent of the national 

roadway network but serves 

approximately 40 percent of the nation’s 

highway travel. U.S. 231 is also a part 

of the National Truck Network, a 

national network of highways that 

allows the passage of trucks of specified 

minimum dimensions and weight. 

Designated as a Regional Mobility 

Corridor and Commerce Corridor, U.S. 

231 serves as a connection to smaller 

cities and regions, feeds traffic to the 

major mobility corridors and provides 

for regional accessibility. As a 

Commerce Corridor, U.S. 231 directly 

facilitates intrastate, interstate or 

international commerce or travel. 

Approximately 12 mi of existing U.S. 

231 through Dubois County is rural 2- 

lane roadway. The roadway becomes 3- 

or 4-lane through Huntingburg and 

Jasper and is a north-south arterial that 

divides both communities. Traffic flow 

in Huntingburg is affected by delays at 

an at-grade railroad crossing. In Jasper, 

U.S. 231 makes two right-angle turns, 

both of which have substandard corner 

radii and are difficult for larger vehicles 

to negotiate. 

In March 2004, FHWA released the 

U.S. 231 Draft EIS. FHWA and INDOT 

have continued to evaluate the project 

and have developed additional 

alternatives for consideration and a 

Final EIS has not been released within 

three years of the publication of the 

Draft EIS. The SDEIS will re-evaluate 

the Preferred Alternative identified in 

the 2004 U.S. 231 DEIS and compare 

those impacts to the additional build 

alternatives. The SDEIS will focus on 

the project modifications, the existing 

environment and impacts, and any new 

information that has developed since 

the 2004 DEIS as required by 23 CFR 

771.130. 

Environmental Issues: Possible 

environmental impacts include 

viewshed impacts, impacts to water 

resources, wetlands, farmed wetlands, 

prime farmland, sensitive biological 

species and habitat, land use 

compatibility impacts, impacts to 

agricultural lands, displacement of 

commercial and residential properties, 

and potential effects to historical 

properties or archaeological sites. 

Alternatives: The SDEIS will consider 

alternatives that include: (1) Taking no 

action; (2) re-evaluation of the Preferred 

Alternative identified in the 2004 DEIS; 

and (3) additional build alternatives not 

previously identified in the 2004 DEIS. 

Public and Agency Scoping and 

Comment: FHWA encourages continued 

broad participation in the SDEIS process 

and review of the resulting 

environmental documents. A resource/ 

regulatory agency meeting is scheduled 

for May 17, 2010 to re-initiate agency 

participation again as FHWA continues 

with the development of the SDEIS, 

Final EIS, and Record of Decision. This 

agency meeting will be held to solicit 

input from the resource and regulatory 

agencies on the nature and extent of 

issues, concerns and potential impacts 

to be addressed in the SDEIS, including 

methods by which they will be 

evaluated and discuss any changes since 

the release of the 2004 DEIS. A public 

information meeting will be conducted 

in the City of Huntingburg in the 

summer of 2010, re-initiating the public 

scoping process on the SDEIS, which 

will be widely publicized well in 

advance of the meeting. Comments, 

questions, and suggestions related to the 

project and potential environmental 

concerns are invited from all interested 

agencies and the public at large to 

ensure that the full range of issues 

related to the proposed action and all 

reasonable alternatives are considered 

and all significant issues are identified. 

These comments, questions, and 

suggestions should be forwarded to the 

address listed above. Notices of 

availability for the Supplemental 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. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

Program No. 20.205, Highway Planning and 

Construction. The regulations implementing 

Executive Order 12372 regarding 

intergovernmental consultation on Federal 

programs and activities apply to the 

program.) 

Authority: 23 U.S.C. 31.5; 23 CFR 771.123; 

49 CFR 1.48. 

Robert F. Tally, 

Division Administrator, Indianapolis, 

Indiana. 

[FR Doc. 2010–13103 Filed 6–1–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–M 


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