US 219 Meyersdale, PA to Old Salisbury Road, MD Project - Draft Environmental Impact Statement Public Comment Period Open and Public Hearings Announced

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in partnership with the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), and in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), are issuing a notice of availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), as well as, notice of a hearing to provide members of the public the opportunity to comment on the project for consideration in review of the Department of the Army's (DA) 404 Permit Application, MDE's Nontidal Wetlands Waterways Permit Application (24-NT-3200), and the MDE 401Water Quality Certification request (24-WQC-0043) for this project.

The comment period on these documents began November 8, 2024 and extends through January 13, 2025. The purpose of the public hearings is to 1) provide interested individuals, community associations, citizen groups, and government agencies an opportunity to offer spoken or written comments on the DEIS, and 2) allow the USACE to receive comments on the DA's Section 404 Permit Application and allow MDE to receive comments on the Nontidal Wetlands and Waterways Permit Application and the 401 Water Quality Certification request for this project.

The project team is proposing a new 8-mile long, four-lane, limited access facility for US 219 from the end of the Meyersdale Bypass in Pennsylvania to the newly constructed portion of US 219 in Maryland, which opened in May 2021. Of the eight (8) miles, six (6) are in Pennsylvania and two (2) are in Maryland.

Pennsylvania Public Hearing

Purpose: This hearing is intended for the public and interested persons/stakeholders to provide formal testimony and/or comment on the DEIS and the DA's 404 Permit Application (Permit # 2014-523).

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Time: 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

• Open House Plans Display: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Formal Public Hearing: 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Location: Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department Station 618 Fire Hall, 385 Ord Street, Salisbury, PA 15558

Link: To participate in the hearing online, log in after 4:45 p.m. at https://bit.ly/US219-PA-Hearing-Dec11https://bit.ly/US219-PA-Hearing-Dec11. The hearing begins promptly at 5:00 p.m.

Maryland Public Hearing

Purpose: This hearing is intended for the public and interested persons/stakeholders to provide formal testimony and/or comment on the DEIS, the DA's 404 Permit Application (Permit # 2014-523), the MDE's Nontidal Wetlands and Waterways Permit Application, and the 401 Water Quality Certification request for this project.

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024

Time: 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

• Open House Plans Display: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
• Formal Public Hearing: 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Location: Grantsville Volunteer Fire Department's Social Hall, 178 Springs Road, Grantsville, MD 21536

Link: To participate in the hearing online, log in after 4:45 p.m. at https://bit.ly/US219-MD-Hearing-Dec12. The hearing begins promptly at 5:00 p.m.
An open house plans display is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. prior to each of the Hearings. The public can ask questions during this time; however, those informal questions will not be part of the public record. The formal public hearings will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a formal presentation and testimony by PennDOT and/or SHA. The MDE (December 12th hearing only) and the USACE will only be accepting testimony on the waterway permit applications. The public will have an opportunity to provide public and private testimony to a court reporter and/or written testimony after the presentation. There will be no response to comments by PennDOT, SHA, MDE or the USACE given during the formal testimony portion of the hearing. Registration slips for both in-person private and public testimony will be available at the registration table on the day of the event. Public virtual testimony will be accepted following the live formal presentation. To provide virtual testimony, please register in advance no later than Monday, December 9, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. by contacting:

Brionna Marks, KCI Technologies

Phone: 717-668-0413

Email: [email protected]

There are three options for providing written testimony, which include:

• Filling out a written testimony form at one of the Public Hearings.
• Mailing in testimony using one of the self-addressed envelopes at the hearing registration table at either of the Public Hearings.
• Sending an email to Brionna Marks, KCI Technologies to the email above.
  
  

A Public Hearing Brochure is posted on the project website and at the local public viewing locations listed below. The brochure provides an overview of the project, including a summary of information in the DEIS and instructions on how to provide testimony.

The DEIS is available for review at the following locations:

Meyersdale Public Library 210 Center Street Meyersdale, PA 15552 Phone: 814-634-0512 Mary S. Biesecker Public Library 230 South Rosina Avenue Somerset, PA 15501 Phone: 814-445-4011 Somerset County Library 6022 Glades Pike, Ste. 120 Somerset, PA 15501 Phone: 814-445-2556 Allegany County Library System - Frostburg 65 East Main Street Frostburg, MD 21532 Phone: 301-687-0790 Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County - Grantsville Branch 102 Parkview Drive Grantsville, MD 21536 Phone: 301-895-5298

PennDOT District 9-0 1620 North Juniata Street Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Phone: 814-696-7250 FHWA - Pennsylvania Division 30 North Third Street, Suite 700 Harrisburg, PA 17101 Phone: 717-221-3461 MD SHA - District 6 1251 Vocke Road LaVale MD 21502 Phone: 301-729-8400 FHWA - Maryland Division George H. Fallon Federal Building Federal Highway Administration 31 Hopkins Plaza, Suite 1520 Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410-962-4440

The DEIS and Public Hearing Brochure is also available on the project website at www.penndot.pa.gov/US219meyersdalesouth

The public hearing location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Any persons having special needs or requiring special aids are requested to contact the Brionna Marks before December 1, 2024, in order to secure special accommodations.​

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For local PennDOT information visit X at www.x.com/PennDOTNews