Public Notice
U.S. Army Corps In Reply to Pre-Application Number
of Engineers NAB-2018-00656-P07 (PA-DOT – Eisenhower Boulevard)
Baltimore District
PN-22-04 Comment Period: February 8, 2022 to March 10, 2022
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLIC NOTICE IS TO INFORM INTERESTED PARTIES OF THE PUBLIC HEARING AND AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE EISENHOWER BOULEVARD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 8-0 and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in cooperation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, will conduct a Joint Public Hearing on
February 23, 2022, for the Eisenhower Boulevard Project in Hanover and McSherrystown in York and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania. The hearing will be conducted as part of the PennDOT/FHWA 45-day comment period for the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA). The PennDOT/FHWA public review and comment period began on January 24, 2022 and will end on March 10, 2022. The Baltimore District will accept comments related to Section 404 Clean Water Act regulations on the Draft EA from February 8, 2022 through March 10, 2022.
The proposed Eisenhower Boulevard extension involves extending the existing State Route 94/Eisenhower Boulevard through Conewago Township, from High Street to Hanover Road/State Route 116 west of McSherrystown. The alternative forwarded for public comment impacts 1,311 linear feet of streams and 1.3 acres of wetlands.
The Draft EA analyzes potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed highway extension and associated improvements pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The Draft EA analyzes two alternatives, the Build Alternative and the No Build Alternative, and presents the potential impacts various natural, cultural, and community resources located within the project area, and discusses mitigation proposed to offset those impacts. The Build Alternative meets the project needs while minimizing environmental impacts and address public and agency feedback.
The Draft EA and supporting technical files are available for public review on the internet at www.eisenhowerdriveextension.com. The public may view project plans at the following locations:
- PennDOT Engineering District 8-0 | 2140 Herr Street, Harrisburg, PA 17103 | (717) 787-6653 | By Appointment Only
- Conewago Township | 541 Oxford Avenue, Hanover, PA 17331 | (717) 637-0411
- Hanover Borough | 44 Fredrick Street, Hanover, PA 17331 | (717) 637-3877
- Penn Township | 20 Wayne Avenue, Hanover, PA 17331 | (717) 632-7366
- Oxford Township | 780 Hanover Street, New Oxford, PA 17350 | (717) 624-4544
- Guthrie Memorial Library | 2 Library Place, Hanover, PA 17331 | (717) 632-5183
- Adams County Planning Commission | 670 Old Harrisburg Road, Suite 100, Gettysburg, PA 17325 | (717) 337-9824
- York County Planning Commission | 28 East Market Street, York, PA 17401 | (717) 771-9870 | By Appointment Only
The public may review project plans and impacts at the Public Hearing on
February 23, 2022 at the Southeast Adams Volunteer Emergency Services Building (SAVES) at 5865 Hanover Road, Hanover, Pennsylvania 17331. Doors open at 5:00 PM.
Public testimony regarding the project will be heard and recorded from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM.
Persons interested in providing oral testimony in public or private can schedule a time at the hearing or by signing up via the project website www.eisenhowerdriveextension.com or calling JMT, Rose Riese at (717) 741-6262. Testimony times will be scheduled in 5-minute blocks and can be supplemented with written testimony.
Written comments regarding the project must be received by 5:00 PM on
March 10, 2022, and may be sent to Neil Beach, Johnson, Mirmiran, & Thompson, Inc, 220 Saint Charles Way, Suite 200, York, Pennsylvania 17402. Written testimony may also be submitted via the project website at www.eisenhowerdriveextension.com.
Comments regarding impacts to waters of the United States, including jurisdictional wetlands may be submitted to the Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via electronic mail to nab.regulatory@usace.army.mil. The email subject should include the project name and number, NAB-2018-00656-P07 (PA DOT - Eisenhower Boulevard). Comments should be received by the Corps before March 10, 2022.
For persons interested in the public hearing but cannot attend the live hearing and testimony, the introductory remarks and hearing handouts will be available on the project website, starting at 10:00 am February 23, 2022.
In accordance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, a Department of the Army authorization is required for the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States, including jurisdictional wetlands.
The EA will serve to support permit applications by PennDOT to receive any Department of the Army authorizations required to perform the proposed work. Once final design plans are complete for the alignment, PennDOT will submit any necessary permit applications to the Corps. If the proposed work requires a Department of the Army Standard Individual Permit, a second public notice will be issued by the Corps to gather additional comments related to final design plans and impacts to the aquatic environment.
The decisions whether to issue Section 404 and/or Section 10 authorizations will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts, including cumulative impacts, of the proposed project on the public interest. The decision will reflect national concern for the protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit that reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposed project must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposed project will be considered, including the cumulative effects thereof. Among the factors to be considered are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.
The public hearing location is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Any person requiring additional information or special assistance to participate in the hearing should contact Ben Singer, PennDOT Project Manager at (717) 787-6690.
Language Translation Services available at the meeting. Servicios de traducción de idiomas disponibles en la reunión.
Please visit the project website at www.eisenhowerdriveextension.com to review COVID-19 policy and avoidance measures for this public gathering.
It is requested that you communicate this information concerning the proposed work to any persons known by you to be interested, who did not receive a copy of this notice.
General information regarding the Corps’ permitting process can be found on our website at https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory.aspx. This public notice has been prepared in accordance with Corps implementing regulations at 33 CFR 325.3. If you have any questions concerning this specific project or would like to request a paper copy of this public notice, please contact Mr. John Gibble of the Baltimore District, via email at john.gibble@usace.army.mil. This public notice is issued by the Chief, Regulatory Branch.