Page 35 - Highway Engineering Handbook Building and Rehabilitating the Infrastructure

18 CHAPTER ONE

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Purpose and need for the proposed action
• Alternatives
• Affected environment
• Environmental consequences
• Mitigation measures
• List of preparers
• List of who received copies
• Appendixes
• Index

Cover Sheet. The cover sheet should clearly indicate the name of the project, its loca-
tion, date of publication of the DEIS, and the responsible sponsoring and environmental
lead and cooperating agencies.
Executive Summary. A summary should be given that provides an overview of the
entire DEIS and be no greater than 10 to 15 pages in length. The summary should include
the following information:
• Briefly describe the proposed project, including the route, termini, type of facility, num-
ber of lanes, length, county, city, and state, along with significant appurtenances, as
appropriate.
• List other federal actions required for implementation of the project, including required
permits. Also describe other major actions proposed by other governmental agencies in
the same geographic area as the proposed project.
• Summarize all reasonable alternatives considered.
• Summarize the major environmental impacts of each alternative, both beneficial and
adverse.
• Identify proposed measures to reduce or avoid identified impacts.
• Briefly describe any areas of concern (including issues raised by agencies and the
public) including any important unresolved issues.
Title Page. The title page should identify the name of the proposed action, and its
geographic limits and location, the date of the DEIS, and any relevant report number
identified by the sponsoring agency and FHWA. The proposing agency must be clearly
identified, including the name, address, and telephone number of a primary contact
person. All agencies that serve as cooperating agencies should also be identified. A brief
one paragraph abstract should be included, providing a description of the proposed
action and its alternatives, a summary of significant impacts, and major mitigation mea-
sures. The title page should also identify the date by which comments on the DEIS must
be received.
Table of Contents. A table of contents should be included in the document and con-
sider all areas of concern identified during the scoping process.
Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action. The DEIS should include a description of
the purpose and need for the proposed action. The information provided should be similar
to that provided in an EA, as described earlier in this chapter.
Alternatives. The lead agency must “objectively evaluate all reasonable alterna-
tives, and for alternatives which were eliminated from detailed study, briefly discuss the