New Canada Road

NEPA Status

At the completion of the CSS Process, a joint CSS Public Workshop and NEPA Public Meeting was conducted on September 29, 2009, to begin the Environmental Assessment process. The Tennessee Environmental Streamlining Agreement (TESA) Concurrence Point-1 Purpose and Need of the project was prepared and submitted to participating agencies on December 21, 2009. After a 45-day review and comment period the Concurrence Point-2 Alternatives Analysis was prepared recapping alternatives developed during the CSS process. CP-2 was submitted on June 10, 2010, and the CP-2 field review was conducted on August 5, 2010. After the 45-day review and comment period for CP-2, technical studies in the areas of Air Quality, Noise Impacts, Wetlands and Ecology, Archaeological Assessment, Architectural/Historical Impacts, Hazardous Materials, and Floodplain Impacts were initiated. No major impacts were observed during the studies, and the City of Lakeland and Tennessee Department of Transportation requested the project be reclassified as a Categorical Exclusion by letter dated December 13, 2010. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the reclassification on January 13, 2011.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the reclassification on January 13, 2011, and the Categorical Exclusion was submitted to TDOT and FHWA for review. The document was signed by TDOT on March 1, 2011, and by FHWA on March 8, 2011. The signed document will be made available for public review (Categorical Exclusion for New Canada Road), and a Public Meeting (Public Meeting Notice) is scheduled for April 7, 2011, from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. in the Board of Commissioners meeting room at the Lakeland City Hall located at 10001 Highway 70, Lakeland, TN.

Project Description

New Canada Road has been planned for the City since the early 1990's, and funds for the design and construction of the road were recently approved in the Shelby County Metropolitan Planning Organization Plan and authorized by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

This will be an 80 percent grant, with the City contributing 20 percent. Grant funding is from TDOT's Surface Transportation Program which is part of the current Federal Highway Transportation Act. The City of Lakeland will provide the remaining funds utilizing general fund monies to match federal monies. The anticipated project cost for New Canada Road is nearly $10,000,000 of which the City of Lakeland will provide a local match of $2,000,000.