65FR36755 Environmental Impact Statement for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Rail Yard; Vancouver, WA
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Posting-number: Volume 65, Issue 112, Page 36755
[Federal Register: June 9, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 112)]
[Notices]
[Page 36755]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jn00-164]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the Burlington Northern Santa
Fe Rail Yard; Vancouver, WA
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 (EIS) will be prepared for a proposed
rail improvement at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail yard
in Vancouver, Washington, and for the possible elimination of the 39th
Street Crossing, which falls within the limits of the yard.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary S. Hughes, Federal Highway
Administration, Evergreen Plaza Building, 711 South Capitol Way, Suite
501, Olympia, Washington 98501, Telephone: (360) 753-9025; Mr. James
Slakey, Washington State Department of Transportation, 310 Maple Park
East, Olympia, Washington, 98504, Telephone: (360) 705-7920.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA in cooperation with the Washington
State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) on the Vancouver Rail Project, a
proposal to construct a multi-track bypass of the existing Burlington
Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) yard facility in Vancouver, Washington,
including the possible elimination of the 39th Street at-grade crossing
located within the limits of the BNSF yard.
Six preliminary alternatives, including the no-action, are
currently under consideration. The five build alternatives all include
construction of a multi-track bypass along the eastern edge of the BNSF
yard, but differ on what would be done to the 39th Street at-grade
crossing. The alternatives for the 39th Street crossing include leaving
the crossing as is, closing the crossing, closing the crossing and
providing a pedestrian/bicycle overpass of the tracks, closing the
crossing and carrying 39th Street over the tracks on structure, and
closing the crossing and improving other nearby streets.
Agency and public involvement programs have been on-going in the
Vancouver area since the proposal to institute intercity passenger
service on the corridor was introduced several years ago. These have
described the proposed action and solicited comment from citizens,
organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies. Numerous public
and agency meetings and open houses have been held, and comments and
questions solicited and accepted via telephone, internet, public
meetings, and the mail. In addition, targeted direct mail,
advertisements, and media relations efforts have been used to reach the
public and agencies. These types of efforts will continue throughout
the environmental process for this proposal.
Advertisements offering interested persons the opportunity to
attend and offer comments at a public hearing will be published prior
to circulation of the draft environmental impact statement. Public
notice of actions related to the proposal that identify the date, time,
place of meetings, and the length of review periods will be published
when appropriate.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
improvement program and its reasonable alternatives are 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 FHWA or FRA
at the addresses provided above.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental
consultation of federal programs and activities apply to this
program)
Issued on: May 26, 2000.
Gary S. Hughes,
Operations Team Leader, Federal Highway Administration, Washington
Division.
[FR Doc. 00-14652 Filed 6-8-00; 8:45 am]
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