U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Maine Division
40 Western Ave, RM 614
Augusta, ME 04330
September 14, 2016
In Reply Refer To: HAD-ME
Mr. Michael Caldwell, Regional Director
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
U.S. Custom House
200 Chestnut Street, Fifth Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Subject: Request for Letter of Conse.nt and Right ofEntry-U.S. Route 3, Bar Harbor, Hancock County, ME WIN 191970.00, AC-STP-1919(700)X
Dear Mr. Caldwell:
We received an application from the State of Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) requesting a Letter of Consent and right of entry for a Federal Land Transfer for highway purposes along Maine Route 3 in Bar Harbor, Hancock County. The proposed highway easement deed includes temporary construction rights, drainage easements, and slope easements over several areas where Route 3 abuts Acadia National Park; these easement areas are required for the reconstruction and modernization of this highway. We reviewed this request in accordance with 23 USC 31 7 and find the request to be reasonable and necessary for the highway reconstruction project.
Enclosed for your review is the highway easement application package from MaineDOT, containing appropriate mapping and legal descriptions relating to this project. Draft mapping and legal documents were reviewed and concurred on by NationaJ Park Service and FHWA staff during early coordination efforts. This project was properly classified and processed as a NEPA Categorical Exclusion under the Agreement for Processing Categorical Exclusions between FHW A and MaineDOT; NEPA, including Section 106, Section 4(f), and Endangered Species Act Section 7 compliance was completed on June 14, 2016. If your agency is in agreement with this request for transfer, we ask that a Letter of Consent be issued, stating the conditions under which the appropriation is given. We also request a right of entry to proceed with project advertisement and construction in the event the land transfer is not finalized prior to the scheduled advertisement for construction bids. All necessary rights of way required to construct this project must be acquired prior to advertising the project for construction. A four-month time period for completion of this request is specified in the National Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed by both our agencies.
We appreciate your agency's continuing cooperation and support to advance this project.
If additional time is needed for consideration of this request or if you need fiuther information, please contact Mr. Mark Hasseltnann ofmy staff at 207-512-4913
Sincerely yours,
Todd D. Jorgensen
Division Administrator
Enclosures:
cc:
Kevin Schneider, NPS w/enclosure
Rachel McManus, NPS w/enclosure
Toni Kemmerle, MaineDOT w/o enclosure
David Bernhardt, MaineDOT w/o enclosure
Mark Hasselman, FHWA w/o enclosure
