Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
Notice of intent.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Indiana Department (INDOT), is issuing this notice to advise the public that FHWA will prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the U.S. 231 Jasper Huntingburg project in Dubois County, Indiana.
Since publication of the 2004 U.S. 231 Draft EIS in March 2004, FHWA and INDOT has continued to evaluate the project and has developed additional alternatives for consideration. The SDEIS will re-evaluate the Preferred Alternative identified in the 2004 U.S. 231 DEIS and compare those impacts to the additional build alternatives. The SDEIS will focus on the project modifications, the existing environment and impacts, and any new information that has developed since the 2004 DEIS as required by 23 CFR 771.130.
Comments on the scope of the SDEIS for the proposed project should be forwarded no later than July 2, 2010.
Address all comments concerning this notice to Tim Miller, Environmental Manager, HNTB Indiana, Inc., 111 Monument Circle, Suite 1200, Indianapolis, IN 46204, Telephone: (317) 636–4682, E-mail:
Janice Osadczuk, Planning/Environmental Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, Indiana Division, 575 North Pennsylvania Street, Room 254, Indianapolis, Indiana, Telephone: (317) 226–7486.
U.S. 231 extends approximately 304 mi from U.S. 60 in Owensboro, Kentucky, north through Indiana to U.S. 41 near the Illinois border. Due to the importance of the route, U.S. 231 is included in the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS includes all Interstate routes, a large percentage of roads classified as principal arterial highways and roads important for national defense. The NHS includes 5 percent of the national roadway network but serves approximately 40 percent of the nation's highway travel. U.S. 231 is also a part of the National Truck Network, a national network of highways that allows the passage of trucks of specified minimum dimensions and weight.
Designated as a Regional Mobility Corridor and Commerce Corridor, U.S. 231 serves as a connection to smaller cities and regions, feeds traffic to the major mobility corridors and provides for regional accessibility. As a Commerce Corridor, U.S. 231 directly facilitates intrastate, interstate or international commerce or travel. Approximately 12 mi of existing U.S. 231 through Dubois County is rural 2-lane roadway. The roadway becomes 3- or 4-lane through Huntingburg and Jasper and is a north-south arterial that divides both communities. Traffic flow in Huntingburg is affected by delays at an at-grade railroad crossing. In Jasper, U.S. 231 makes two right-angle turns, both of which have substandard corner radii and are difficult for larger vehicles to negotiate.
In March 2004, FHWA released the U.S. 231 Draft EIS. FHWA and INDOT have continued to evaluate the project and have developed additional alternatives for consideration and a Final EIS has not been released within three years of the publication of the Draft EIS. The SDEIS will re-evaluate the Preferred Alternative identified in the 2004 U.S. 231 DEIS and compare those impacts to the additional build alternatives. The SDEIS will focus on the project modifications, the existing environment and impacts, and any new information that has developed since the 2004 DEIS as required by 23 CFR 771.130.
23 U.S.C. 31.5; 23 CFR 771.123; 49 CFR 1.48.