Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

35146

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 124 / Thursday, July 1, 2021 / Notices
potential impacts to social, economic, natural, and physical environmental resources associated with these alternatives. Federal agencies will work together to identify and mitigate any potentially significant impacts through the NEPA process. All reasonable alternatives, including new location alignments and improvements to existing Highway 67, will be considered, screened, and carried forward for detailed analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement DEIS
based on their ability to address the projects purpose and need while minimizing adverse impacts to the natural and social environments.
The project team sent letters describing the proposed NEPA study and soliciting input to the appropriate federal, tribal, state, and local agencies who have expressed or are known to have an interest or legal role in this project. Additional comments from the public, interest groups, private organizations, and other agencies will be solicited through an additional public hearing for the DEIS. The project is needed because there is a gap in the system linkage that diminishes connectivity and mobility of the National Highway System. Additionally, there is a lack of reliable transportation infrastructure to support economic development and a need to enhance resiliency to extreme weather events along the route. Furthermore, Federal legislation designated this high priority corridor as future Interstate Route 57 I
57. The projects purpose is to develop an interstate highway system that addresses the above-described needs while minimizing the negative impacts to the natural and social environment.
All build alternatives begin at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas and end at the Arkansas-Missouri state line, a distance of approximately 42 miles. There are currently three build alternatives and the no-build alternative under consideration. The build alternatives include Alternative 1, an evaluation of improvements to existing Highway 67
with new location bypasses around the towns of Pocahontas and Corning;
Alternative 2, which generally lies between Highway 67 and the Dave Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area DDWMA turning north on the east side of Corning up to the Arkansas-Missouri state line on allnew location; and Alternative 3, which generally parallels the Highway 90
corridor east of the DDWMA until reaching the town of Knobel where the study corridor turns north passing east of Corning and to the Arkansas-Missouri state line and is all on new location.
Three approximately 1.7-mile
VerDate Sep<11>2014

16:45 Jun 30, 2021

Jkt 253001

alternatives provide the final connection between the main alternatives and the Arkansas-Missouri state line. These connector alternatives are named A, B, and C: Alternative A lies to the east of Highway 67 on new location, Alternative B improves existing Highway 67, and Alternative C lies to the west of Highway 67 on new location. The Missouri Department of Transportation MoDOT is a cooperating agency on this project and is working closely with ARDOT on the connector location because this will determine the southern terminal for the MoDOT section of future I57. The Nobuild Alternative will not meet the purpose and need but is retained throughout the study process to help evaluate the positive and negative impacts of the build alternatives. Maps of the study area and alternatives are included in the Supplementary NOI
Information document and on the project website interactive map.
Anticipated environmental constraints for the project include potential impacts to the DDWMA, the Black and Current Rivers, vegetated and farmed wetlands, floodplains, threatened and endangered species and their habitat, cultural resources, residential homes, businesses, and farmlands. Alternative 1 has the greatest potential to impact homes, businesses, and cultural resources due to improvements to the already developed Highway 67 corridor. Alternatives 2 and 3 are on new location with minor impacts to the human environment but have the greatest potential impact on farmlands and farmed wetlands.
Preliminary estimates of possible impacts can be seen in the Supplementary NOI Information document.
Permits and authorizations anticipated for the project include a U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers USACE
Section 404 of the Clean Water 33
U.S.C. 1344 and Section 10 33 U.S.C.
403 of the Rivers and Harbors Act standard individual permit for wetland/stream impacts and impacts to navigable waters, and Section 408
U.S.C. 33 U.S.C. 408 approval for Civil Works project impacts such as levees.
Formal coordination with the USACE
began in November 2020 when they accepted the responsibility to be a cooperating agency. A Section 401
Water Quality Certification from the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment ADEE will be required for potential impacts to surface waters.
Formal coordination began in May 2020
when ADEE accepted the responsibility to be a participating agency.
Consultation with the U.S. Fish and
PO 00000

Frm 00088

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

Wildlife Service USFWS pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 16 U.S.C. Section 1536, will be required for biological assessments and threatened and endangered species surveys. Formal coordination with the USFWS began in May 2020 when they accepted the responsibility to be a cooperating agency. A Request for Technical Assistance for USFWS was completed in early 2020 and a preliminary plan for habitat resource evaluations and bat and mussel surveys was recently submitted to the USFWS
for review. Consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer SHPO for compliance with Section 106
regulations will be required for historical and archeological resources potentially impacted. Formal coordination with the SHPO began in January 2021 when they accepted the responsibility to be a participating agency.
Early scoping for this EIS study started with the local official and public meetings held in August and September 2020 and it will continue for 30 days after publication of this NOI. Project scoping also includes the previous studies public meetings as described below. In 1996, ARDOT completed a planning study specifically for the current project area. In 2015, ARDOT
conducted a second planning study and included substantial public and local official input and consideration of environmental impacts. The 2015
planning study recommendations are the basis for the preliminary range of alternatives currently under consideration. In August 2020, the project team held virtual meetings with local officials and the public and included the draft purpose and need document, three 1,000-foot-wide corridors, and other project information.
The project team solicited comments on the presented materials and encouraged the public to be as detailed and specific as possible. Additional public, local official, and agency outreach will be conducted for the DEIS.
The publication date of the NOI will start a two-year time clock for the agency to reach its final decision on the project 40 CFR 1501.10a and b2.
The schedule for completing the Draft EIS, Final EIS/Record of Decision ROD, and permits is as follows: Draft EIS May 31, 2022; Final EIS/ROD
February 28, 2023; Section 404, 408, and 10 permitJuly 31, 2023; Section 401 certification July 31, 2023; Section 106 consultation May 31, 2022; Section 7 consultation June 15, 2022.
With this Notice, FHWA and ARDOT
request and encourage State, Tribal, and local government agencies, and the
E:FRFM01JYN1.SGM

01JYN1