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In this section, the US 50 Project Management Team has provided answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the US 50 Corridor East Project. More questions will be added and answered as the project progresses.
We encourage you to submit your comments and questions regarding the US 50 Corridor East Project (contact information listed below).

FAQs from the August 2007 Public Meetings

Project Description
What is the US 50 Corridor East project?
What is an environmental impact statement (EIS)?
What is a tiered NEPA process?
What is being studied in Tier 1?
What will be studied in Tier 2?
How long will this project take?
When will I know where US 50 will be located?
Will the US 50 Corridor East project cut off local road access and how will access locations be determined?
What affect will this have on my property?
Are local governments and officials involved?

Public Meetings and Involvement
What public meetings are planned and where will they occur?
How can I stay informed, get involved and/or submit comments?

If your question is not addressed above, submit it to the project team. Your input is a valuable part of this project – please contact the project team with any questions you may have about the US 50 Corridor East project!

Project Description
What is the US 50 Corridor East project?
The US 50 Corridor East project is a collaborative effort led by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). The project intends to provide a corridor location decision for an improved US 50 between Pueblo and the vicinity of the Kansas state line that CDOT can use to plan and program future improvements, preserve right-of-way, and pursue funding opportunities. CDOT is “Partnering for Progress” on this effort with the communities located along this section of US 50 and the resource agencies that manage and maintain resources adjacent to the roadway.

What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)?
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), is the principle environmental federal law governing federal decision-making, planning, and development activities. To ensure that all environmental impacts are considered before final decisions are made, NEPA requires a “detailed statement” in the form of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). An EIS is a full disclosure document that details the process through which a transportation project was developed, includes consideration of a range of reasonable alternatives, analyzes the potential impacts resulting from the alternatives, and demonstrates compliance with other applicable environmental laws and executive orders. The EIS process is completed in the following ordered steps: Notice of Intent (NOI), Draft EIS (DEIS), Final EIS (FEIS), and Record of Decision (ROD).

• The NOI is published in the Federal Register by the lead federal agency and signals the initiation of the process.
• The DEIS provides a detailed description of the proposal, the purpose and need, reasonable alternatives, the affected environment, and presents analysis of the anticipated beneficial and adverse environmental effects of the alternatives.
• Following a formal comment period and receipt of comments from the public and other agencies, the FEIS will be developed and issued. The FEIS will address the comments on the draft and identify, based on analysis and comments, the Preferred Alternative.
• The ROD identifies the selected alternative, presents the basis for the decision, identifies all the alternatives considered, specifies the “environmentally preferable alternative”, and provides information on the adopted means to avoid, minimize, and compensate for environmental impacts.

What is a tiered NEPA process?
Tiering is a procedure for completing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in two separate stages, known as tiers. The first tier involves the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that examines a large land area or a broad set of issues associated with a major federal action that triggers the NEPA process. The second tier generally involves the preparation of several, separate NEPA documents, which could include EISs; Environmental Assessments (EAs); or even Categorical Exclusions (Cat Exs) for specific projects within the overall corridor. For a more detailed understanding of the NEPA process, please review CDOT’s “Environmental Stewardship Guide.”

The US 50 Corridor East project will have two tiers.

What is being studied in Tier 1?
Tier 1 consists of a single environmental study to address broad, corridor-wide issues from Pueblo to the vicinity of the Kansas state line. Several corridor location alternatives will be evaluated, including a no-build alternative, and a preferred alternative will be chosen. The goal of Tier 1 is to ensure that the preferred corridor location alternative adequately balances the needs of the communities, resource agencies (i.e., the environment) and transportation system (local, regional and state-wide). At the end of Tier 1, the preferred corridor alternative should be wide enough for CDOT to plan and program future improvements to the facility.

What will be studied in Tier 2?
Once the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) results in a corridor being selected as the preferred corridor alternative, the project will proceed to Tier 2. Tier 2 will consist of a series of individual environmental and engineering studies addressing location specific design details and environmental impacts in smaller sections called Sections of Independent Utility (SIU). SIUs are portions of the preferred corridor alternative that can be constructed independently of each other. Tier 2 studies will focus on individual SIUs. Once the Tier 2 study is completed for an SIU, engineering plans will be developed and construction of that SIU can be begin once funding is secured.

How long will this project take?
It is anticipated to take approximately three years to complete the environmental analysis and approval necessary to identify a corridor location for the entire study area (Tier 1). The time frame for conducting Tier 2 projects is unknown at this time.

When will I know where US 50 will be located?
Work on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is in progress and is scheduled to be completed in 2009. Also please see 2. What are the U.S. 50 corridor location options? and 9. What effect will this project have on my property? of the August Public Meeting FAQ's.

Will the US 50 Corridor East project cut off local road access and how will access locations be determined?
Tier 1 is a “broad brush” approach to determine a corridor location for the improved US 50 roadway from Pueblo to the vicinity of the Kansas state line. Since the actual alignment, or roadway footprint, will not be determined until the Tier 2 phase of the project, the specific answer to this question is not available at this time. However, as part of this project access strategies will be developed to guide the Tier 2 phase as the ultimate roadway alignment is determined and access points are identified.
Also please see 3. At the August 2007 public meetings, the U.S. 50 corridor options showed 200-foot and 1,000-foot corridors. What is the difference between the 200-foot and 1,000-foot corridors proposed? of the August Public Meeting FAQ's.

What effect will this project have on my property?
It is too early in the project to determine specific parcels of land that will be affected.
Also please see 9. What effect will this project have on my property? of the August Public Meeting FAQ's.

Are local governments and officials involved?
Yes, CDOT is working closely with local elected officials on both the technical and policy level to ensure that we understand their concerns and address their issues.

Public Meetings and Involvement
What public meetings are planned and where will they occur?
A series of public meetings and hearings will be conducted over the lifetime of the US 50 East Corridor Project. These meetings will take place at various sites along the corridor. Public meeting notices are posted at least 30 days before the meeting in the Public Meetings section of this Web site. The meetings are also advertised in local newspapers in the vicinity of the meeting locations, and flyers will be sent to individuals on the project contact list. If you are not on the project contact list and would like to be added, please contact the project team at us50einfo@wilsonco.com or by telephone at 1-866-GO50NOW (1-866-465-0669). More contact information is available at Contact Us. Public meetings provide an ideal opportunity to talk with project staff, ask questions, and submit comments.

How can I stay informed, get involved, and/or submit comments?
While public meetings provide an ideal opportunity to talk with project staff about the project and submit comments, you may submit comments at any time by Contacting us.

Do you have a question about the project that is not addressed above?
If your question is not addressed above, submit it to the project team. Your input is a valuable part of this project – please contact the project team with any questions you may have about the US 50 Corridor East project!

Files on this Web site are in .pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click on the Adobe logo to download the free Acrobat Reader.