[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 239 (Tuesday, December 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77896-77897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31307]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[5284-TT02-371]
Notice of Availability: Tamiami Trail Modifications: Next Steps
Project, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Everglades National
Park, Florida
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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The Notice of Intent (NOI) for this project referred to it as a
``Feasibility Study and Report'' based on language in the authorizing
legislation. This new appellation was a result of public scoping and
internal National Park Service discussions.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 and National Park Service (NPS) policy in Director's
Order Number 2 (Park Planning) and Director's Order Number 12
(Conservation Planning, Environmental Impact Analysis, and Decision-
making), the NPS announces the availability of a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41)
Modifications: Next Steps Project for Everglades National Park,
Florida.
The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 111-008, dated March
11, 2009) directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to
construct modifications to Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41) that were
approved in the 2008 Limited Reevaluation Report and Environmental
Assessment. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act also directed the NPS
to ``immediately evaluate the feasibility of additional bridge length,
beyond that to be constructed pursuant to the Modified Water Deliveries
to Everglades National Park Project (16 U.S.C. 410r-8), including a
continuous bridge, or additional bridges or some combination thereof,
for the Tamiami Trail (U.S. Highway 41) to restore more natural water
flow to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and for the purpose of
restoring habitat within the Park and the ecological connectivity
between the Park and the Water Conservation Areas.''
DATES: The NPS will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) no sooner than
30 days following publication by the Environmental Protection Agency of
the Notice of Availability of the FEIS.
ADDRESSES: The document will be available for public review online at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ever. A limited number of compact discs
(CDs) and hard copies are available at Park headquarters. You may
request a hard copy or CD by contacting Everglades National Park, Attn:
Bruce Boler, 950 N. Krome Avenue, Homestead, FL 33030-6733; telephone
305-224-4234.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public scoping was initiated in the summer
of 2009. A newsletter was distributed on May 31, 2009, and a public
meeting was held on June 2, 2009, to keep the public informed and
involved throughout the planning process. As the lead agency, the NPS
conducted several inter-agency/Tribal meetings and one workshop to
develop project objectives, identify alternatives, evaluate the
benefits of alternatives, and identify a preferred alternative. The
draft document was revised as a result of public and agency feedback
received during the public comment period. The FEIS provides historical
information, existing conditions, alternatives for infrastructure
modifications, and related impacts of the alternatives. The FEIS
describes six alternatives for consideration, including a no-action
alternative that provides for the continuation of the current Tamiami
Trail infrastructure configuration. The five action alternatives
present a range of infrastructure modification opportunities. The
environmental impacts of each alternative, including the no-action
alternative, are systematically analyzed in the document.
The six analyzed alternatives (with corresponding identifiers as
they appear in the document) are as follows:
No-Action Alternative: The No-Action Alternative consists
of a 1-mile eastern bridge and elevation of the remaining roadway to
allow for 8.5 feet stages in the L-29 Canal. This alternative continues
the status quo.
Alternative 1: 2.2 miles of bridges and remaining roadway
elevated: Alternative 1 would involve creating conveyance openings
through Tamiami Trail by removing 2.2 miles of the existing highway and
embankment. Four bridges would be constructed in the openings to
replace the removed section of road and maintain vehicle traffic across
the openings. This alternative would create 2.2 miles of ecological
connectivity and better distribute flows in the western area of the 11-
mile project corridor.
Alternative 2a: 3.3 miles of bridges and remaining roadway
elevated: Alternative 2a would involve creating conveyance openings
through Tamiami Trail by removing 3.3 miles of the existing highway and
embankment. Six bridges would be constructed in the openings to replace
the removed section of road and maintain vehicle traffic across the
openings. This alternative would create 3.3 miles of ecological
connectivity and moderately reduce the adverse effects of high velocity
discharges associated with the existing culverts.
Alternative 4: 1.0 miles of bridging and remaining roadway
elevated: Alternative 4 would involve creating conveyance openings
through Tamiami Trail by removing 1.0 mile of the existing highway and
embankment where the bridging is proposed. Two bridges would be
constructed in the opening to replace the removed section of road and
maintain vehicle traffic. This alternative would increase ecological
connectivity by 1.0 mile.
Alternative 5: 1.5 miles of bridging and remaining roadway
elevated: Alternative 5 would involve creating conveyance openings
through Tamiami Trail by removing 1.5 miles of the existing highway and
embankment. Three bridges would be constructed in the opening to
replace the removed section of road and maintain vehicle traffic. This
alternative would increase ecological connectivity by 1.5 miles.
Alternative 6e: 5.5 miles of bridging and remaining
roadway elevated. Alternative 6e is the maximum bridging option and
involves creating conveyance openings through Tamiami Trail by removing
5.5 miles of the existing highway and embankment. Four bridges would be
constructed in the opening to replace the removed section of road and
maintain vehicle traffic. Bridge down-ramp (access ramps) options were
also developed for Alternative 6e to maintain access to two commercial
airboat facilities: Everglades Safari Park and Coopertown. Option 4
(Modified Parallel Down Ramp) was selected as the preferred option for
Everglades Safari and Option 5 (Parallel Down Ramp with Existing
Frontage Road) was selected as the preferred option for Coopertown.
Alternative 6e would increase ecological connectivity by 5.5 miles,
reduce flow velocities below the 0.10 feet per second (fps)
[[Page 77897]]
threshold that causes harm to marshes, and substantially restore the
flow patterns associated with a healthy ridge and slough landscape in
Northeast Shark River Slough.
Common to all action alternatives: The remaining highway
embankments along stretches of the road that are not bridged would be
reconstructed to raise the crown elevation to 12.3 feet, the minimum
required based on the design high water of 9.7 feet and the roadway
cross-section geometry.
Preferred Alternative: Alternative 6e was determined to be the
preferred alternative (and environmentally preferable alternative) by
the NPS and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Authority: The authority for publishing this notice is 40 CFR
1506.6.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Everglades National Park at
the address and telephone number shown above.
The responsible official for this Final EIS is the Regional
Director, Southeast Region, NPS, 100 Alabama Street, SW., 1924
Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.
Dated: December 2, 2010.
Gordon Wissinger,
Deputy Regional Director, Chief of Staff, Southeast Region, National
Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-31307 Filed 12-13-10; 8:45 am]
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