May 2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

LAWSON-FISHER ASSOCIATES P.C. CONSULTING ENGINEERS 525 WEST WASHINGTON AVENUE • SOUTH BEND, INDIANA 46601 SITE: http://www.lawson-fisher.com E-MAIL: lfa@lawson-fisher.com PHONE: (574) 234-3167 FAX: (574) 236-1330 May 6, 2004 Ms. Karen R. Hammond -Nash, Director Historic Preservation Comm. of South Bend and St. Joseph County 125 S. Lafayette Boulevard South Bend, IN 46601 RE: McKinley Highway Corridor Improvements Project 610 Feet East of Bittersweet Road to 600 Feet East of Birch Road St. Joseph County, Indiana Early Coordination and Section 106 Correspondence Dear Ms. Hammond -Nash: DANIEL R. LAWSON, P.E. JOHN E. FISHER, P.E. GREGORY L. HOLDEN, P.E. PAUL A. HUMMEL, P.E. 200201.60 JOHN A. MIDDLETON, P.E. PIPER C. TITTLE, P.E. THOMAS S. SHARP, P.E. THERESA E. HARRISON, P.E. JON E. RIEMKE, P.E. JEFFREY L. MCKEAN. P.E. RANDOLPH J. LINDLEY, P.E. SKY K. MEDORS, P.E. CHRISTOPHER J. DETER, P.E. DENNIS A. ZEBELL, P.E. BENJAMIN P. HOLDEN, P.E. DAN G. DELGADO. P.E. MARK H. FOSTER, P.E. CHARLES E FARRELL, P.E. ADIN M. McCANN, P.E. MICHAEL J. GUZIK, EE. We are writing to initiate the Early Coordination of a transportation project being planned in St. Joseph County, Indiana. The proposed project will widen and improve the existing McKinley Highway corridor in St. Joseph County, Indiana from 610 feet east of Bittersweet Road to 600 feet east of Birch Road. The project is currently in the design phase. The proposed road improvements project is a Local Public Agency (LPA) Project. As such, a portion of the project will be Federally funded. As a result of the Federal involvement, the project is required by law to adhere to the guidelines contained in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as well as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires Federal agencies to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties. In accordance with 36 CFR 800.2(c), you are hereby requested to be a consulting party to participate in the Section 106 process. This process involves efforts to identify historic properties potentially affected by the undertaking, assess its effects and seek ways to avoid, minimize or mitigate any adverse effects on historic properties. There are two alternatives being developed for the proposed project. Alternative A consists of adding two travel lanes and a continuous two-way left -turn lane utilizing the existing alignment. Alternative B is the "Do Nothing" alternative. Alternative A is our preferred alternative. We ask you to look at the developed alternatives and evaluate Alternative A as the proposed final alternative. The preliminary Area of Potential Effects (APE) for Alternative A has been determined to be all parcels immediately adjacent to the proposed project. It is important to note that the preliminary APE has been developed without comment from the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Section 106 consulting parties. As the project continues to advance, coordination with the SHPO and the Section 106 consulting parties will take place to firmly establish the APE for the proposed project.