[Federal Register: January 20, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 12)]
[Notices]              
[Page 3147]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20ja99-109]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement: Hinds and Rankin Counties,
Mississippi

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an
environmental impact statement will be prepared for the Pearl River
Bridge and Jackson International Airport Parkway/Mississippi 25
Connectors between Interstate 55, the Jackson International Airport,
and Mississippi Highway 25 in the vicinity of Jackson, Flowood, and
Pearl, Mississippi.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cecil Vick, Reality Officer/
Environmental Coordinator, Federal Highway Administration, 666 North
Street, Suite 105, Jackson MS 29202-3199, Telephone: (601) 965-4217.
Contacts at the State and local level, respectively are: Mr. Billie
Barton, Environmental/Location Division Engineer, Mississippi
Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS, 39215-1850,
telephone: (601) 359-7920; and Mr. William Hillman, District Engineer,
Mississippi Department of Transportation, 7759 Highway 80 W., Newton
MS, 39345, telephone (601) 683-3341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the
Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Pearl River Bridge
and Jackson International Airport Parkway/Mississippi 25 Connectors in
Hinds and Rankin Counties, Mississippi. The proposed connectors would
begin at Interstate 55 at or near High Street in Jackson, Mississippi
and extend eastward across the Pearl River to connect with Mississippi
Highway 475 south of the Jackson International Airport and with
Mississippi Highway 25 north of the Jackson International Airport. The
proposal is for a full control of access facility, and interchanges
will be studied at various locations. The estimated length of the
project is 14.9 kilometers (9.3 miles).
    State and Federal legislation authorized studies of the bridge and
connectors and the Intermodeal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of
1998, authorized partial funding for design, right of way, or
construction. Alternatives under consideration include (1) taking no
action and (2) build alternative.
    Initial environmental studies for the proposed project began as an
Environmental Assessment. As part of the Environmental Assessment
Process, the FHWA and MDOT sought input through the scoping process to
assist in determining and clarifying issues relative to this project.
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments were
sent to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to private
organizations and citizens who had previously expressed or were known
to have an interest in the proposal. A formal scoping meeting with
federal, state, and local agencies, and other interested parties was
held October 30, 1996. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife
Fisheries and Parks became cooperating agencies. The scoping process
and interagency coordination is continuing and has reached the point
where the FHWA and MDOT have determined that completion of an EIS is
appropriate.
    Coordination will be continued with federal, state, and local
agencies, and with private organizations and citizens who express or
are known to have interest in this proposal. The draft EIS will be
available for public and agency review and comment prior to the
official public hearing.
    To ensure that the full range of issues relating to this proposed
action 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.
Lawrence J. Kastner,
Assistant Division Administrator, Jackson, Mississippi.
[FR Doc. 99-173 Filed 1-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M