The Houston Regional Group and Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club (Sierra Club), submitted scoping comments to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)/federal Department of Transportation (DOT) for the proposed I-14 Central Texas Corridor Study (I-14 Corridor), from Rogers in Bell County to Huntsville in Walker County. The Sierra Club comments stated:
The Sierra Club opposes the taking of any of Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) for the proposed widening of current U.S. 190, associated roads, other improvements, or sending a proposed I-14 Corridor loop around Huntsville, Texas. If there is a loop contemplated it should go well north of SHNF, so it avoids taking any federal public national forest lands. A proposed loop, north or south of U.S. 190, could cause incredible damage to SHNF.
This issue/concern must be dealt with since the eastern endpoint of this proposal, Huntsville, Texas, Walker County, may not include all SHNF lands that may be impacted by the proposed I-14 Corridor. This issue/concern should be resolved now and not bifurcated which would underestimate the impacts in environmental analysis that the proposed I-14 Corridor would have on SHNF and mitigation needed.
The proposed I-14 Corridor will cause induced development because it provides new, more, or better access for developers to construct residential, commercial, and other developments next to or near the proposed I-14 Corridor. This induced development and its environmental impacts should be fully described in an environmental impact statement (EIS) as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Only by preparing an EIS, will TxDOT/DOT be able to fully reveal to the public the environmental impacts, including cumulative impacts, and the mitigation measures needed to avoid, minimize, or compensate for the damage, degradation, or destruction that occurs. The Sierra Club supports the acquisition and donation of lands, as a mitigation measure, for their loss due to this proposal and its induced development, for SHNF.
Construction of I-14 will result in fragmentation of existing ranch, farm, forest, prairie, wetland, and other vegetative and wildlife habitats in the area. Induced development will create further fragmentation of existing natural or agricultural lands. The proposed I-14 EIS should fully describe these impacts and propose adequate mitigation for them.
TxDOT has outlined a plan that will create, improve, or expand a “network or rural divided highways that complements Interstate Highway System”; that these highways will be “Four-lane divided highways”; and that these rural highways will serve as “a principal connector for cities with over 20,000 population, major ports, and ports of entry”.
This proposal risks cutting Texas into fragmented pieces that will limit or eliminate wildlife from suitable habitats via new road constructions or existing structures, maintenance, operations, repairs, rehabilitations, and reconstructions. This overall direction should be described and the environmental impacts revealed, along with mitigation measures, in the proposed I-14 Corridor EIS.
The proposed I-14 will have extensive cumulative impacts due to highway and other projects planned to connect to it. These cumulative actions and their cumulative impacts must be addressed and described and proposed mitigation outlined in the I-14 Corridor Study and EIS. The proposed I-14 should avoid private conservation lands and other federal, state, or local protected lands.
Additional roadkill will occur due to the proposed I-14 Corridor and any widening of the current U.S. 190, associated roads, other improvements, or sending a proposed I-14 Corridor loop around Huntsville, Texas. The Sierra Club requests that TxDOT/DOT provide a detailed wildlife crossing structures plan to mitigate for fragmentation, roadkill, and other road impacts that may occur to wildlife and vegetation.
Riparian/bottomland hardwood vegetation, that are found along streams/floodplains/slope/terrace/levee transition zones, should be avoided. Any impacts must be fully mitigated including land acquisition and donation to SHNF for any riparian or bottomland hardwood damage, degradation, or destruction.
Noise/light pollution are problems which the proposed I-14 Corridor will create or make worse. Complete analysis of cumulative actions/impacts must be done and mitigation measures commensurate with the damage, degradation, or destruction of quiet and night skies must be implemented. This includes important quiet/undegraded night skies for insects, bats, and other creatures that need night or crepuscular conditions for their existence and survival.
The proposed I-14 Corridor will impact climate change by creating a corridor for vehicles, induced development, and other cumulative climate change air pollution. A complete analysis of the environmental impacts this proposal will have on climate change and that climate change will have on it must be done and mitigation measures for reduction of climate change air pollution, like electric vehicle charging stations, alternative transportation systems, etc., must be implemented.
The Sierra Club will continue to monitor and provide comments on the I-14 Corridor Study in the future.
Write to the following addresses with your comments:
I-14 Central Texas Corridor Study
c/o CD&PP.O. Box 5459
Austin, Texas 78763
Texas Department of Transportation
Bryan District
2592 N. Earl Rudder Freeway
Bryan, Texas 77803