Federal Highway Administration

Environmental Impact Statement; City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, VA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for a proposed highway project in the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INVORMATION CONTACT: George E. Kirk, Jr., District Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, P.O. Box 10045, Richmond, Virginia 23240-0045, Telephone (804)771-2380.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposal to provide a four-lane divided facility from the intersection of existing McIntire Road and Preston Avenue to an intersection with existing RIO Road.
    The proposed highway project involves in part the upgrading of an existing two-lane facility to a four-lane divided roadway. The remaining part of the proposed highway project calls for a four-lane divided facility on new location. Five alternative roadway alignments within the project corridor will be investigated for this study. The proposed project will provide improved access to the downtown area in Charlottesville from the north, while reducing congestion on other, less adequate facilities.
    There are also three alternatives to the proposed project under consideration:
    (1) Null or No-Build Condition-which includes all elements of the Regional Transportation Plan with the exception of the proposed project.
    (2) Mass Transit-to evaluate the ability of mass transit to accommodate the transportation demands in the study area.
    (3) Traffic System Maintenance-to evaluate the ability of non-major construction activities on the existing roadway network to accommodate the transportation demands in the study area.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and to private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed interest in this proposal. No formal scoping meeting is planned at this time. The Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment. Following publication of the [DEIS], a public hearing will be held. Public notice will be given of the time and place of the hearing.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related 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 DEIS should be directed to the FHWA at the address provided above.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, Highway Research, Planning and Construction. The provisions of OMB Circular No. A-95 regarding State and local clearinghouse review of Federal and Federally assisted programs and projects apply to this program.

    Issued on October 3, 1984.

M.J. Deale,
Assistant Division Administrator, Richmond, Virginia