OMAHA, NE – An environmental assessment for interstate bridge and roadway improvements over Indian Creek in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is currently available for public review. The EA evaluates the impacts of removing the existing Interstate 80/Interstate 29 bridge over Indian Creek and constructing new bridges with associated road improvements. The project is located approximately three miles upstream of the confluence of Indian Creek with the Missouri River.
The proposed project consists of removing the existing I-80/I-29 eastbound bridge, constructing new I-80 eastbound and I-29 southbound bridges over Indian Creek, and constructing I-80/I-29 roadway improvements (bridge approaches, embankments, and traffic lanes) within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project boundaries of Council Bluffs Levee Unit II. The proposed project also includes constructing a temporary impervious levee before removal of the existing bridge abutments to maintain an equal line of flood protection during removal of existing bridge abutments and construction of new abutments. A Section 408 application has been submitted, and the Omaha District has reviewed the package to ensure the proposed project would not be injurious to the public interest or impair the usefulness of the Corps' Civil Works Project.
The purpose of the proposed project, which is part of the Council Bluffs Interstate System, is to upgrade mobility through the I-80, I-29, and I-480 corridor, improve the condition of the roadways, reduce traffic congestion and crashes, strengthen system linkages by making transitions between interstates easier, correct functional design issues, and accommodate planned development.
The public is encouraged to provide comments on the draft environmental assessment, which is available for viewing at: http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Planning/ProjectReports.aspx. Comments can be mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AC; ATTN: Council Bluffs Levee Unit II EA; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments can also be emailed to: cenwo-planning@usace.army.mil. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than June 24, 2016.
The EA is consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Corps’ regulations for implementing NEPA (33 CFR 325 and Engineering Regulation 200-2-2) and other applicable environmental laws and regulations.
Release no. 20160526-001