NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE ST. ELIZABETHS EAST CAMPUS TRANSPORTATION PROJECT

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), District of Columbia Division and the District Department of Transportation are announcing the availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Final Environmental Assessment for the St. Elizabeths East Campus Transportation Network project, pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347; the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); and the FHWA Environmental Impact and Related Procedures (23 CFR 771). The Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) process has also been completed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in coordination with DDOT, is issuing a FONSI for the Preferred alternative, Alternative 2, as identified in the Final Environmental Assessment for the St. Elizabeths East Campus Transportation Network project. The determination that the proposed undertaking will not have a significant impact on the environment has been made pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.

The purpose of the project is to provide a transportation infrastructure network that serves the needs of the redeveloped St. Elizabeths East Campus by providing connectivity and access to adjacent neighborhoods. The needs include the following:

• Provide connections to the community and neighborhoods
• Make St. Elizabeths East Campus accessible and open to the community
• Provide increased transportation connections
• Make the campus walkable
• Remove the roadway deficiencies by reconstructing the roadways & connecting the network
• Provide multimodal transportation options including transit, bikes, and pedestrians
• Manage the expected growth in travel

As part of FHWA’s NEPA requirements, FHWA & DDOT evaluated the St. Elizabeths East Campus as a historical site to comply with the Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (49 USC303), implemented by 23 CFR 771.135. The Section 4(f) evaluation is included as a chapter of the EA.

Since St. Elizabeths Hospital is a National Historic Landmark, the project also complied with the Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA). FHWA and DDOT consulted with Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), DC State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and various other consulting parties and an MOA was signed to complete the Section 106 process. A copy of the Sec 106 MOA and the Cultural resources report is also included in the EA.

Hard copies of the FONSI and Final EA may also be viewed at:

• District Department of Transportation, 55 M Street, SE, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20003

For more contact information:

• Federal Highway Administration, District of Columbia Division: Mr. Michael Hicks, 1990 K Street, NW, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20006-1103, (202) 219-3536;
• District Department of Transportation: Ms. Lezlie Rupert, Project Development & Environment Division, Infrastructure Project Management Administration (IPMA), 55 M Street, SE, Suite 500, Washington DC 20003, (202)-671-1595