Targhee Pass EA Scoping Report
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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SCOPING REPORT FOR US 20 JUNCTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 87 TO THE MONTANA STATE LINE TARGHEE PASS PROJECT 14054 DECEMBER 2017 IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT RIGBY, IDAHO Contents 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Scoping Process and Public Involvement .......................................................................................... 1 2.1 Internal Scoping ............................................................................................................................ 1 2.2 External scoping ............................................................................................................................ 1 2.3 Transcription of Comments for Inclusion in the Scoping Report .................................................. 4 3.0 Issues Derived from Scoping ............................................................................................................. 4 3.1 Issues Related to Project Purpose and Need ................................................................................ 5 3.2 Issues Related to Project Alternatives .......................................................................................... 7 3.2.1 Inclusion of Design Elements for Wildlife-Vehicle Collision (WVC) Reduction and Wildlife Movement ............................................................................................................................................. 7 3.2.2 Speed Limit ............................................................................................................................ 8 3.2.3 Turning Traffic Movements ................................................................................................... 9 3.2.4 Improved Signage ............................................................................................................... 10 3.2.5 Frontage Road ..................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.6 Shoulders and Rumble Strips .............................................................................................. 10 3.2.7 Pedestrians and Bicycles ..................................................................................................... 10 3.2.8 Slower Moving Traffic, Passing, and Congestion ................................................................ 11 3.2.9 Freight Traffic ...................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.10 Recreational Design Features ............................................................................................. 13 3.2.11 Cost, Funding, and Procedural Issues for Alternatives ....................................................... 13 3.3 Issues Related to Public Involvement and the NEPA Process ..................................................... 15 3.4 Issues Related to U.S. 20 Corridor or Segments other than Targhee Pass ................................. 15 3.5 Noise Impact Analysis ................................................................................................................. 16 3.6 Cultural Resources ...................................................................................................................... 17 3.7 Wildlife and Fisheries Impact Analysis Issues ............................................................................. 17 3.7.1 Impacts on Wildlife ............................................................................................................. 17 3.7.2 Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossing and Fencing ................................................................... 18 3.8 Threatened and Endangered Species ......................................................................................... 18 3.9 Land Use and Property Acquisition ............................................................................................. 19 3.10 Visual Impact Analysis Issues ...................................................................................................... 19 3.11 Floodplains .................................................................................................................................. 19 3.12 Wetlands ..................................................................................................................................... 19 3.13 Aquatic Resources and Water Quality ........................................................................................ 19 3.14 Invasive Species .......................................................................................................................... 20 3.15 Recreation Resources ................................................................................................................. 20 3.16 Air Quality ................................................................................................................................... 20 3.17 Social and Economic Impacts and Environmental Justice .......................................................... 21 3.18 Construction Impacts .................................................................................................................. 21 Appendices Appendix A – ITD Form 0654 Appendix B – Public and Agency Comments December 2016 – June 2017 Appendix C – Public and Agency Comments July-August 2017 Appendix D – Alternatives Development Workshop Comments on Maps, July 27, 2017 Appendix E – Public and Agency Comments August – September, 2017 Appendix F – Public Meeting Presentation Verbal Comments, August 30, 2017 Acronyms The following is a list of acronyms commonly used in this document: EA – Environmental Assessment WVC – wildlife-vehicle collisions ITD – Idaho Transportation Department FHWA – Federal Highway Administration NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act 1.0 Introduction The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) are preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate risks, benefits, opportunities, and costs associated with reconstruction of U.S. 20 in the Targhee Pass area (U.S. 20 between its junction with Idaho State Highway 87 and the Montana state line). As an action using federal funds, the proposed project must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended. Scoping is part of the NEPA process. Scoping is an early and open process to identify issues of concern related to a proposed project. The objectives of scoping are to: Utilize stakeholder input in defining the set of alternatives and impacts that will be examined in detail in the EA. Give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the scope of the study and raise issues or concerns that should be addressed. Promote an efficient process by coordinating with resource agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise related to the project and project location. Reduce overall processing time by identifying relevant issues to study in the EA upfront and provide opportunity for early involvement to minimize the possibility that new issues will be raised later in the process. This report documents the scoping and alternatives development process carried out by the study team. Outreach activities conducted with resources agencies, the general public, and a forum of stakeholder representatives are described in the following pages. In addition to the summary of results, this report includes appendices containing all written public and agency comments received during the scoping and alternatives development phases of the EA process. 2.0 Scoping Process and Public Involvement 2.1 Internal Scoping ITD utilizes Form 0654 at the start of the NEPA process to identify known issues that will be analyzed in the environmental document. ITD’s assessment also includes consideration of the appropriate Class of Action; ITD confirmed its decision to continue to prepare an EA. The completed form for the Targhee Pass project is included in Appendix A. 2.2 External scoping ITD employed a suite of public involvement methods to obtain public input regarding issues to be evaluated in the EA. Throughout phases of external scoping and alternatives development, ITD accepted comments by email, postal mail, and telephone. Hand-written comments were also accepted at public meetings. All communications with the public, organizations, and resource agencies are archived in a database that will be retained in ITD’s project record. 1 2.2.1 Situational Assessment: October 2017 At the request of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), The Langdon Group conducted a situational assessment for ITD’s Targhee Pass Environmental Assessment to inform the public outreach strategy for this study. Assessment conversations occurred over the phone and in-person. Conversations were conducted informally allowing the stakeholders to drive the direction and discuss the issues that were most important to them. Interviews were not conducted using a specific set of questions asked of all stakeholders; therefore, the resulting summary does not provide quantifiable data, instead this report is intended to provide a window into the opinions, issues, and concerns that exist among a diverse sub-set of stakeholders. Interviews took place between October and November 2016. Assessment participants were identified by ITD and The Langdon Group. They included: Federal Agencies U.S. Forest Service