Finding [34 Pa.B. 6287] Under section 2002(b) of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. § 512(b)), the Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration makes the following written finding:
The Federal Highway Administration and the Department of Transportation (Department) plan to reconstruct SR 2001 (Milford Road) from its intersection with SR 0739 in Delaware Township south to its intersection with U.S. Route 209 at Bushkill, PA for an approximate project length of 21.7 kilometers (13.5 miles). Included in the reconstruction are correction of substandard horizontal and vertical roadway curvature and replacement of the existing bridge and culvert crossings of Randalls Creek, Bear Road Run, Toms Creek, Briscoe Creek (Alicia's Creek), Hornbecks Creek and Dingman's Creek. Also included in the project are resurfacing, shoulder improvements, signing, guiderail adjustments and a curve straightening on SR 0739 between the SR 2001 and U.S. Route 209 intersections.
The subject project will use approximately 15.3 hectares (37.8 acres) of the National Park Service (NPS) property within the designated boundaries of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The environmental, economic, social and other effects of the proposed project as enumerated in Section 2002 of the Administrative Code have been considered. It has been concluded that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the project as designed and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimize effects. To minimize the harm to the Section 2002 protected property impacted by the project, the Department will minimize travel lane widths and use a 1.5 to 1 horizontal to vertical slope ratio in the area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Based on a meeting with the NPS, the replacement of parkland will involve a mutually agreeable combination of acreage and land value. In addition, the NPS will receive fair market value payment for all viable timber within those areas of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area that is to be acquired for right-of-way purposes. The Department has committed to pursue the use of the Delaware River floodplain site offered by the NPS to conduct the proposed project's wetland mitigation efforts.
The Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration has considered the environmental, economic, social, and other effects of the proposed project as enumerated in section 2002 of The Administrative Code of 1929 and has concluded that there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the project as designed, and all reasonable steps have been taken to minimize effects.
GARY L. HOFFMAN, P. E.,
Deputy Secretary for Highway Administration[Pa.B. Doc. No. 04-2078. Filed for public inspection November 19, 2004, 9:00 a.m.]
