The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is proposing improvements to State Highway 10A (SH-10A) from 2 miles east of the SH-10 junction extending east 4.10 miles to the SH-100 junction in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. The proposed project will provide two 12-foot lanes and 8-foot paved shoulders throughout (except for 4-foot shoulders through portions of Paradise Hill), 1:3 backslopes, 4-foot wide ditches, guardrail as needed, and an adequate clear recovery area. The existing roadway will remain open to traffic during construction.

Easements within the Lake Tenkiller Public Use area and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) property will be required in order to construct the proposed SH-10A improvements. Due to the proposed transportation use of property located within the Lake Tenkiller Public Use Area and the USACE property, Section 4(f) regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 apply to the project. Section 4(f) affords protection to publicly-owned recreation areas (resources) including city, state, and national parks, wildlife refuges and management areas and historic sites.

ODOT has coordinated with the USACE with regard to avoidance and minimization of impacts of this project on the Lake Tenkiller Public Use Area and the USACE property and the USACE is supportive of these measures. The cooperatively-determined compensatory mitigation plan which is being used to minimize impacts to the recreational features of the USACE properties includes the following:

• Utilizing a specialized guardrail installation method that incorporates the guardrail and pavement widening into the proposed shoulder with no additional guardrail widening
• Maintaining through traffic on SH-10A during construction at all times by use of construction phasing and temporary widening
• Providing a perpendicular intersection alignment and a wide return radius to the Strayhorn Landing Entrance
• Maintaining traffic access to the Strayhorn Landing Area during construction
• Providing parking with an asphalt paved turnout area at the trail head turnout

Any required easement will be minimized as much as possible. ODOT is proposing to obtain through easement approximately 4 acres of the 450-acre Lake Tenkiller Public Use Area and USACE property, which constitutes approximately 1 percent of these USCAE properties. The use of appropriate best management practices (including storm water, erosion and dust control, and chemical/fuel handling) will be conscientiously implemented.

Based on the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of impacts to the Lake Tenkiller Public Use Area and the USACE property as described above, and the cooperatively-developed compensatory mitigation plan, ODOT, in coordination with FHWA, are proposing a de minimis impact finding with regard to Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act (1966). ODOT welcomes your comments on the effects of this project on the projected activities, features, and attributes of the Lake Tenkiller Public Use Area and the USACE property (the Section 4(f) resource). Please mail or e-mail any comments you have by May 24, 2020 to:

Environmental Programs Division Engineer

Oklahoma Department of Transportation

200 NE 21st Street

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

environment@odot.org

LAKETENKILLER