Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 14, 2008 / Notices 60749 

FHWA funding and/or approval, FHWA 

is lead agency under NEPA, with the 

Caltrans acting as its liaison and 

providing oversight for the NEPA 

process. Some potential project impacts 

determined to be significant under 

CEQA may not be considered significant 

under NEPA. 

After comments are received from the 

public and reviewing agencies, the 

RCTC and the FHWA may undertake 

additional environmental and/or 

engineering studies. A Final EIR/EIS 

will include responses to comments 

received on the Draft EIR/EIS. Following 

preparation of the Final EIR/EIS, if the 

decision is made to approve the project, 

a Notice of Determination will be 

published for compliance with CEQA 

and a Record of Decision will be 

published for compliance with NEPA. 

The MCP Alternatives evaluated in 

the Draft EIR/EIS include five Build 

Alternatives (4, 5, 6, 7 and 9) and two 

No Build Alternatives (1A and 1B). At 

its regular meeting of September 12, 

2007, the RCTC Board approved 

identification of Alternative 9 with the 

Temescal Wash Design Variation (TWS 

DV) as the locally preferred alternative 

for the MCP project. However, the final 

selection of an alternative will not be 

made until after the consideration of 

public comments on the Draft EIR/EIS, 

and before approval of the Final EIR/ 

EIS. 

Alternative 1A represents 2035 traffic 

on the planned street network except for 

future improvements to Cajalco Road 

and Ramona Expressway, which would 

remain as they exist today. Construction 

of the MCP project would not be 

implemented with the No Project/No 

Action Alternative 1A. The future westeast traffic described in the study area 

would be served by the existing Cajalco 

Road and El Sobrante Road between I– 

15 and Interstate 215 (I–215) and by the 

existing Ramona Expressway between I– 

215 and SR–79. This alternative 

assumes 2035 land use conditions and 

implementation of planned 

improvements to the regional and local 

circulation system as accounted for in 

the adopted Riverside County General 

Plan (2003), RCTC’s Measure A 

program, and other adopted plans and 

policies. 

Alternative 1B represents 2035 traffic 

levels on the planned street network, 

according to the Circulation Element of 

the Riverside County General Plan. 

Construction of the MCP project would 

not be implemented with No Project/No 

Action Alternative 1B. This alternative 

is the same as Alternative 1A but 

includes the implementation of Cajalco 

Road and Ramona Expressway 

improvements consistent with the 

Riverside County General Plan 

Circulation Element. 

Alternative 4 is a six-to eight-lane 

limited access parkway alternative. 

Alternative 4 is located south of Lake 

Mathews and follows a northerly 

alignment through Perris. This 

alternative would be located south of 

the existing Cajalco Road west of Lake 

Mathews Drive and located north of 

Ramona Expressway from I–215 to the 

Perris Drain, from where it follows the 

Perris Drain on an elevated structure 

southerly to Placentia Avenue. From 

that point, Alternative 4 continues east 

through the McCanna Hills, where it 

follows Ramona Expressway. 

Alternative 4 would connect to systemto-system interchanges at I–15, I–215, 

and SR–79. 

Alternative 5 is a six-to eight-lane 

limited access parkway alternative. 

Alternative 5 is located south of Lake 

Mathews and follows a southerly 

alignment through Perris. This 

alternative is located south of the 

existing Cajalco Road west of Lake 

Mathews Drive and is located south of 

Ramona Expressway from I–215 

(following Rider Street and Placentia 

Avenue) to just west of Antelope Road. 

From that point, Alternative 5 continues 

east where it follows Ramona 

Expressway. Alternative 5 would 

connect to system-to-system 

interchanges at I–15, I–215, and SR–79. 

Alternative 6 involves the 

implementation of arterial 

improvements included in the Riverside 

County General Plan west of El 

Sobrante, including a six-lane arterial 

north of Lake Mathews and a four-lane 

limited access expressway south of Lake 

Mathews. East of El Sobrante, this 

alternative is the same as Alternative 4 

described above, providing a new six-to 

eight-lane limited access parkway. The 

proposed arterial street improvements 

north and south of Lake Mathews are 

consistent with the Riverside County 

General Plan Circulation Element and 

generally follow the alignments shown 

in the General Plan. 

Alternative 7 involves the 

implementation of arterial 

improvements included in the Riverside 

County General Plan west of El 

Sobrante, including a six-lane arterial 

north of Lake Mathews, a four-lane 

limited-access expressway south of Lake 

Mathews. East of El Sobrante, this 

alternative is the same as Alternative 5 

described above, providing a new six-to 

eight-lane limited access parkway. The 

proposed arterial street improvements 

north and south of Lake Mathews are 

consistent with the Riverside County 

General Plan Circulation Element and 

generally follow the alignments shown 

in the General Plan. 

Alternative 9 is a four-to six-lane 

controlled access parkway between I–15 

and Old Elsinore Road, south of Lake 

Mathews and Mead Valley. The 

alternative is aligned south of 

Metropolitan Habitat Conservation Plan 

Reserve lands and traverses the Gavilan 

Hills area. From Old Elsinore Road to 

the I–215 interchange, Alternative 9 is a 

six-to eight-lane controlled access 

parkway. East of I–215, Alternative 9 

follows Placentia Avenue; east of Evans 

Road, it follows a common alignment 

with Alternatives 4–7 through McCanna 

Hills and along Ramona Expressway. 

Alternative 9 is a six-to eight-lane 

controlled-access parkway between I– 

215 and SR–79. Alternative 9 would 

connect to system-to-system 

interchanges at I–15, I–215, and SR–79. 

The Draft EIR/EIS and technical 

studies are available for viewing at the 

following locations during regular 

business hours: (1) RCTC, 4080 Lemon 

Street, 3rd Floor, Riverside, CA 92502; 

(2) FHWA, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4– 

100, Sacramento, CA 95814; (3) Caltrans 

District 8 Office —6th Floor, 464 W. 4th 

St., San Bernardino, CA 92401; (4) City 

of Corona—Public Works Department, 

400 South Vicentia Avenue, 2nd Floor, 

Suite 210, Corona, CA 92882; (5) Corona 

Public Library, 650 S. Main St., Corona, 

CA 92882; (6) Perris Public Library, 163 

E. San Jacinto Ave., Perris, CA 92507; 

(7) San Jacinto Public Library, 500 

Idyllwild Dr., San Jacinto, CA 92583; (8) 

Woodcrest Library, 16625 Krameria, 

Riverside, CA 92504; and (9) Hemet 

Library, 300 E. Latham Avenue, Hemet, 

CA 92543. You may also view and 

comment on the Draft EIR/EIS at 

http://www.midcountyparkway.org. 

Issued on: October 2, 2008. 

Nancy E. Bobb, 

Director of State Programs, Major Projects 

Program Manager, Federal Highway 

Administration, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4– 

100, Sacramento, CA 95814. 

[FR Doc. E8–23805 Filed 10–10–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

Environmental Impact Statement: San 

Diego, CA 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA). 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: FHWA is issuing this notice 

to advise the public that an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 


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60750 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 14, 2008 / Notices 

will be prepared for the proposed State 

Route 76 (SR–76) South Mission Road to 

the Interstate 15 (I–15) interchange 

highway improvement project in San 

Diego County, California. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Susanne Glasgow, Deputy District 

Director, at the California Department of 

Transportation, District 11— 

Environmental Division, M.S.–242, 4050 

Taylor Street, San Diego, California 

92110, Telephone (619) 688–0100. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Effective 

July 1, 2007, the Federal Highway 

Administration assigned and Caltrans 

assumed environmental responsibilities 

for this project, pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 

327. Caltrans will prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

on a proposal for a highway 

improvement project in San Diego 

County, California. The proposed 

project would upgrade and improve 

operations on SR–76 from the vicinity of 

South Mission Road to the vicinity of 

the SR–76/I–15 interchange. The 

proposed improvements would upgrade 

the roadway to current design standards 

and improve operations of intersections 

and at the interchange on and off ramps. 

These improvements are considered 

necessary to provide for the increase in 

existing and projected traffic demand. 

The total length of the proposed project 

is approximately 5.2 miles. Preliminary 

alternatives under consideration include 

(1) Take no action; (2) construct 

improvements along the existing 

roadway; and (3) construct a new 

southern alignment. Anticipated final 

approvals for the proposed project 

include, but are not limited to, 

consultation with the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the 

Endangered Species Act, Consultation 

under Section 2081 of the California 

Endangered Species Act, conformance 

with the Section 404 MOU Integration 

Process, conformance with Section 404 

of the Clean Water Act, conformance 

with Section 1602 of the California 

Department of Fish and Game Code, 

conformance with Section 4(f), and 

conformance with the Clean Air Act. 

Letters describing the proposed action 

and soliciting comments will be sent to 

appropriate Federal, State, Cooperating/ 

Participating Agencies (including Tribal 

governments), local agencies, and to 

private organizations and citizens who 

have previously expressed or are known 

to have an interest in this proposal. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

documentation for the proposed project 

began in March 2008. The Public 

Scoping meeting will be held at the 

Bonsall Community Center in Bonsall, 

California on October 22, 2008, from 5 

p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, a public 

hearing will be held. Public notice will 

be given of the time and place of the 

public hearing (as applicable). The EIS 

will be available for public and agency 

review and comment prior to the public 

hearing. 

To ensure that the full range of issues 

to this proposed action is addressed and 

all significant issues are 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 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 on: October 7, 2008. 

Nancy E. Bobb, 

Director, State Programs, Sacramento, 

California. 

[FR Doc. E8–24254 Filed 10–10–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Highway Administration 

[Docket No. FHWA–2008–0140] 

Proposed Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) Assigning 

Environmental Responsibilities to the 

State of Alaska 

AGENCY: Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA), Alaska 

Division Office, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed MOU and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces that 

the FHWA and the Alaska Department 

of Transportation and Public Facilities 

(State) have developed a proposed 

MOU, pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 326, under 

which the FHWA would assign to the 

State the FHWA’s responsibility for 

determining whether a project is 

categorically excluded from preparation 

of an environmental assessment or an 

environmental impact statement under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. (NEPA), 

and for carrying out certain other 

responsibilities for conducting 

environmental reviews, consultations, 

and related activities for Federal-aid 

highway projects. The public is invited 

to comment on any aspect of the 

proposed MOU, including the proposed 

designations of categorical exclusions 

and scope of environmental review, 

consultation and other activities to be 

assigned. 

DATES: Please submit comments by 

November 28, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by Federal Document 

Management System (FDMS) Docket 

Number FHWA–2008–0140, or by any 

of the following methods: 

Web site: http://www.regulations.gov. 

Fax: 1–202–493–2251. 

Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12– 

140, Washington, DC 20590–0001 

Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Room W12–140, 

Washington DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday, 

except federal holidays. 

Docket: For access to the docket to 

view a complete copy of the proposed 

MOU, or to read background documents 

or comments received, go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov at any time or go to 

the ground floor, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST), 

Monday through Friday, except federal 

holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Haugh, Environmental Program 

Manager, FHWA Alaska Division, 709 

West 9th Street, Room 851, Juneau, AK 

99802, Office Hours 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

(AST) Monday through Friday, (907) 

586–7418, tim.haugh@dot.gov; or 

William Ballard, Statewide 

Environmental Manager, Statewide 

Design and Engineering Services, Alaska 

Department of Transportation and 

Public Facilities, P.O. Box 112500, 

Juneau, AK 99811–2500, Office Hours 8 

a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (AST) Monday through 

Friday, (907) 465–6954, 

bill.ballard@alaska.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Electronic Access 

An electronic copy of this notice may 

be downloaded using a computer, 

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.archives.gov and the Government 

Printing Office’s Web site at http:// 

www.access.gpo.gov. An electronic 

version of the proposed MOU may be 

downloaded by accessing the FDMS 

docket, as described above, at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 


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