[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10934-10935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4064]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Orange and San Diego Counties, 
California

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this revised notice to advise the public 
that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed 
transportation improvement project in southern Orange County and 
northern San Diego County, California. A previous Notice of Intent was 
published in the Federal Register on December 16, 1993(58 FR 65758, 
Dec. 16, 1993) and public scoping meetings were held on August 25, 1994 
and September 16, 1994.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert L. Cady, Transportation 
Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, California Division, 980 
Ninth Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, California 95814-2724. Telephone: 
(916) 498-5038.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA in cooperation with the California 
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS), on a proposal to locate and construct 
transportation infrastructure improvements in southern Orange County 
and northern San Diego County. The Transportation Corridor Agencies 
(TCA) is currently preparing a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report 
(SEIR) to comply with the review requirements of the state of 
California Environmental Quality Act. In an effort to eliminate 
unnecessary duplication and reduce delay, the document to be prepared, 
will be a joint EIS/SEIR in accordance with the President's Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations as described in 40 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), sections 1500.5 and 1506.2.
    The purpose of the proposed project is provide improvements to the

[[Page 10935]]

transportation infrastructure system that would help alleviate future 
traffic congestion and accommodate the need for mobility, access, goods 
movement, and future traffic demands on the interstate Route (I-5) 
freeway and the arterial network in the southern Orange County area.
    Alternatives under consideration include (1, 2, and 3) three 
southerly toll road extension alignments, including several variations 
thereof, from the existing terminus of the Foothill Transportation 
Corridor-North, State Route 241 (SR-241), at Oso Parkway; to the I-5 
freeway near the Orange County/San Diego County line; (4) improvements 
to the local arterial system; (5) lane additions on I-5 in each 
direction between the I-5/I-405 confluence to Christianitos Road; and 
(6) no action. Note: As required by the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), all other reasonable alternatives will be considered. These 
alternatives may be refined, combined with various different 
alternative elements, or be removed from further consideration, as more 
analysis is conducted on the project alternatives.
    In November of 1985, Orange County began consultation with State 
and local agencies for the southern segment of SR-241, identified as 
beginning just south of the Oso Parkway interchange and extending 
southerly to a connection with the I-5 freeway. The TCA has continued 
these consultations and held a scoping meeting for state and federal 
agencies regarding the proposed route. These consultations identified 
areas of special concern along the proposed route, including new 
highway and arterial roadway improvements and updates to portions of 
the baseline information, which were the focus of locally initiated EIR 
studies. FHWA believes that this early and continued consultation has 
been extensive and consistent with 40 CFR 1501.7. However, in order to 
inform potentially affected agencies and the general public of FHWA 
involvement, and to gather further comments regarding the new 
alternatives for study, three public scoping meetings will be held. The 
public scoping meetings will be held during the month of March 2001 
with two meetings in south Orange County and one in north San Diego 
County. Public notice will be given of the time and place of the 
meetings.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed 
routes are addressed and all significant issues 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 FHWA at the address provided above.

(Catalog of Federal 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: February 9, 2001.
Jeffrey W. Kolb,
Team Leader, Program Delivery Team-South, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 01-4064 Filed 2-16-01; 8:45 am]
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