Environmental Impact Statement: Will and Kankakee Counties, Illinois and Lake County, IN

Topics:  Federal Highway Administration

Norman R. Stoner
Federal Register
June 8, 2011

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33401-33402]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14205]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Will and Kankakee Counties, 
Illinois and Lake County, IN

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 a 
Tier One Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared for the 
Illiana Corridor Project in Will and Kankakee Counties, Illinois and 
Lake County, Indiana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Norman R. Stoner, P.E., Division 
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, 3250 Executive Park 
Drive, Springfield, Illinois 62703, Phone: (217) 492-4600. Diane M. 
O'Keefe, P.E., Deputy Director of Highways, Region One Engineer, 
Illinois Department of Transportation, 201 West Center Court, 
Schaumburg, Illinois 60196, Phone: (847) 705-4000. Jim Stark, Deputy 
Commissioner for Capital

[[Page 33402]]

Program Management, Indiana Department of Transportation, 100 North 
Senate Avenue, N758, Indianapolis, IN 46204, Phone: (317) 232-0694.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Illinois 
Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the Indiana Department of 
Transportation (INDOT), will prepare a Tier One Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Illiana Corridor Project. The anticipated 
project termini are Interstate Highway 55 in Will County, Illinois and 
Interstate Highway 65 in Lake County, Indiana. The study area covers 
approximately 950 square miles in portions of Will and Kankakee 
counties in Illinois and Lake County in Indiana.
    The Tier One EIS will complete a broad analysis of transportation 
system alternative(s) in the study area and evaluate the environmental 
impacts at a planning level of detail using a Geographic Information 
System (GIS) supplemented as needed by field investigations. The 
primary environmental resources that may be affected are: agricultural, 
residential, commercial, and industrial properties; streams and 
floodplains; wetlands; and open space. Alternatives assessed will seek 
to avoid and minimize impacts to these resources, as well as cultural 
resources and protected lands. In accordance with FHWA, IDOT, and INDOT 
policies, the project is being developed using Context Sensitive 
Solutions as the basis for an extensive stakeholder outreach program.
    A range of Alternatives will be developed and evaluated, including 
but not limited to: Taking no action, transportation system management 
strategies, existing or new transit improvements, existing roadway 
improvements, and new roadways on new location.
    As part of the EIS process, a scoping meeting for obtaining input 
from Resource Agencies in both Illinois and Indiana on the level of 
detail and methodologies to be used in the EIS, as well as the 
development of a bi-state agency coordination process, will be held on 
June 28, 2011 at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 77 West 
Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois.
    A Stakeholder Involvement Plan (SIP), which will meet the SAFETEA-
LU Coordination Plan requirements, will be developed to ensure that a 
full range of issues related to this proposed project are identified 
and addressed. The SIP provides meaningful opportunities for all 
stakeholders to participate in defining transportation issues and 
solutions for the study area.
    Comments or questions concerning this proposed action and the Tier 
One EIS are invited from all interested parties and should be directed 
to the FHWA at the address provided above. A public hearing will be 
held after the Tier One Draft EIS is published and made available for 
public and agency review. Public notice will be given of the time and 
place of public meetings and hearings.
    The Tier One EIS will conclude with a Record of Decision selecting 
a preferred corridor that can encompass one or more transportation 
alternatives. Following the Tier One EIS, projects with independent 
utility may be advanced to Tier Two NEPA documents that will focus on 
detailed environmental analyses.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The regulations 
implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental 
consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this 
program).

    Issued on: May 26, 2011.
Norman R. Stoner,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, Springfield, 
Illinois.
[FR Doc. 2011-14205 Filed 6-7-11; 8:45 am]
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