[Federal Register: February 25, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 37)]
[Notices]
[Page 10090-10092]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25fe08-139]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Central
Corridor Light Rail Transit Project, Located in Minneapolis and Saint
Paul, MN
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (SDEIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in cooperation with
the Metropolitan Council is issuing this notice to advise interested
agencies and the public of its intent to prepare a Supplemental Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the proposed Central
Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, located in Minneapolis and
Saint Paul, Minnesota (the ``Project''). The SDEIS will be prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as
provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The SDEIS will evaluate
potential changes to the Central Corridor LRT Project since the
publication of the April 21, 2006 Alternatives Analysis/Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) and disclose new information
that is being developed during the preliminary engineering process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Marisol Simon, Regional
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Region V, 200 West
Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Telephone: (312) 353-
2789.
DATES: Written comments on the proposed action should be sent to Ms.
Kathryn L. O'Brien, AICP, Project Manager, Central Corridor Project
Office, 540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S, Saint Paul, MN 55104,
Telephone: 651-602-1927; E-mail:
[[Page 10091]]
kathryn.obrien@metc.state.mn.us and Mr. David Werner at FTA, Region V,
200 West Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Telephone:
(312) 353-2789; E-mail: David.Werner@dot.gov by March 26, 2008.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: The Metropolitan Council is proposing transportation
improvements in the Central Corridor linking Minneapolis and Saint
Paul. The Central Corridor is 11-miles in length of which 9.8 miles
consists of new alignment and 1.2 miles uses the existing Hiawatha LRT
alignment in downtown Minneapolis. It will connect the Minneapolis and
Saint Paul downtown areas as well as the University of Minnesota and
the State Capitol complex. The purpose of the Project is to meet the
future transit needs of the Central Corridor and the Region and to
support the economic development goals for the Corridor. It allows the
opportunity to provide a direct connection to the existing 11.6-mile
Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis, thereby increasing mobility options
within the Region.
The AA/DEIS Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register
on June 5, 2001 and the notice of the availability of the AA/DEIS for
review and comment was published in the Federal Register on April 21,
2006. In April 2006, the Central Corridor AA/DEIS was distributed for
public review and comment (No. 20060147, ERP No. D-FTA-F40434-MN). The
AA/DEIS provided a comprehensive examination of alignments, LRT and
Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technologies, and a Baseline Alternative
for the Central Corridor. Based on findings from the AA/DEIS and on
public and agency input received during the process, the Metropolitan
Council adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Central
Corridor, namely Light Rail Transit, operating on Washington and
University Avenues, on June 28, 2006 (Metropolitan Council Resolution
No. 2006-15).
Proposed Changes to the LPA: A supplemental DEIS is being prepared
because key changes to the LPA as previously defined are being
considered. In response to comments received on the AA/DEIS and the
Project subsequent to the selection of the LPA, several design options
for key project elements are being considered. These options reflect
conditions that exist within the Corridor, technical and operational
constraints, major infrastructure requirements that were not fully
documented in the AA/DEIS, physical conditions that have changed within
the corridor since the AA/DEIS, and substantive comments received
during the AA/DEIS public comment period. The SDEIS will document and
disclose potential impacts relating to key project elements that have
changed and/or remain uncertain since issuance of the AA/DEIS,
including but not limited to:
1. Hiawatha/Central Connection: Alternative alignments connecting
to the existing Hiawatha LRT tracks will be evaluated.
2. University of Minnesota Alignment (tunnel vs. at-grade and
stations): The LPA included a tunnel, primarily under Washington
Avenue, as the preferred alignment alternative through the University
of Minnesota campus. The SDEIS will examine the impacts of an at-grade
alignment alternative through the East Bank of the University of
Minnesota campus and modifications to the tunnel alignment, as well as
an alignment change through this segment of the line, largely due to
the new University of Minnesota stadium presently under construction on
the LPA alignment.
3. Potential Additional Station at Hamline, Victoria or Western:
The impact of adding a station to the Central Corridor LRT project at
Hamline, Victoria or Western avenues in the City of Saint Paul will be
evaluated.
4. Capitol Area Alignment/Stations: Potential changes to the
alignment and location of stations within Saint Paul's Capitol Area
Architectural and Planning Board area will be documented and disclosed.
5. Downtown Saint Paul alignment/station modifications: Alternative
means of accessing Saint Paul's Union Depot, including potential
impacts to LRT station location and alignment will be documented and
disclosed.
6. Traction power substations: The AA/DEIS discussed the need for
traction power substations as part of LRT operations, but did not
identify the number or potential location(s) of substations. The SDEIS
will document and disclose this information.
7. 3-car train requirement: The impacts of potential 3-car train
operations on the Central Corridor will be evaluated.
8. Vehicle maintenance facility: The need for and impacts of
constructing a storage and maintenance facility to serve the
operational needs of the Central Corridor LRT project will be
documented and disclosed.
9. Washington Avenue Bridge: The need for and impacts of
modifications and/or improvements required to the Washington Avenue
Bridge for LRT purposes will be documented and disclosed.
10. Other key project elements determined through the on-going
decision-making process to have potential significant impacts to human
and natural environments.
The SDEIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the
Public: The SDEIS will assist the Metropolitan Council, FTA, resource
agencies, key project partners and the general public in understanding
and resolving key project elements within the context of NEPA. The
purpose of the SDEIS process is to explore in a public setting
potentially significant effects of implementing proposed changes to the
LPA on the physical, human, and natural environment. Areas of
investigation include, but are not limited to, land use, historic and
archaeological resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, traffic and
parking, modification to existing bridges, noise and vibration,
environmental justice, regulatory floodway/floodplain encroachments,
coordination with transportation and economic development projects, and
construction impacts. Other issues to be addressed in the SDEIS
include: Natural areas, ecosystems, rare, threatened and endangered
species, water resources, air/surface water and groundwater quality,
energy, potentially contaminated sites, displacements and relocations,
Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and Section 6(f)
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and secondary and
cumulative effects. The SDEIS is not intended to repeat all the
analyses contained in the project's AA/DEIS. Most analyses would be
limited to the study area corresponding to key project elements
currently identified and outlined above, as well as other project
elements that have yet to be identified and may arise during the
current decision-making process. Potential impacts will be evaluated
for both the short-term construction period and the long-term effects
of operations. Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant
adverse impacts will be identified.
Notices regarding the intent to prepare the SDEIS and soliciting
input will be sent to the appropriate Federal, State, and local
agencies that have expressed or are known to have an interest or legal
role in this proposed action. A comprehensive public involvement
program has been developed to engage private organizations, citizens,
and interest groups in the process. The program includes an active
Community Advisory
[[Page 10092]]
Committee (CAC), a Business Advisory Council (BAC), a Central Corridor
Management Committee (CCMC) and a Project Advisory Committee (PAC). A
Central Corridor project Web site has been created and can be found at:
http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/
centralcorridor.htm. Community outreach coordinators are available to
work with residents, businesses and interested individuals along the
entirety of the corridor at: http://www.metrocouncil.org/
transportation/ccorridor/CCstaff.htm. Notices of public meetings have
been and will continue to be given through a variety of media providing
the time and place of the meeting along with other relevant
information. When complete, the SDEIS will be distributed and available
for public and agency review and comment prior to any public hearings.
Following publication, review, and approval of the SDEIS, a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be prepared and circulated.
The FEIS will identify a final preferred alternative and any necessary
mitigation commitments.
In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105 (a) and 771.133, the Metropolitan
Council and FTA will comply with all Federal environmental laws,
regulations, and executive orders applicable to the proposed project
during the environmental review process to the maximum extent
practicable. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and FTA regulations
implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR Part 771), the
project-level air quality conformity regulation of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 93), the Section
404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR Part 230), the regulation
implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36
CFR Part 800), the regulation implementing Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act (50 CFR Part 402), Section 4(f) of the DOT Act (23 CFR
Section 771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on Environmental Justice,
11988 on Floodplain Management, and 11990 on Wetlands.
Comments and questions concerning the proposed action should be
directed to Ms. Kathryn L. O'Brien, AICP, Project Manager, Central
Corridor Project Office, 540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S, Saint
Paul, MN 55104, Telephone: 651-602-1927; E-mail:
kathryn.obrien@metc.state.mn.us
Dated: February 13, 2008.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region V.
[FR Doc. E8-3525 Filed 2-22-08; 8:45 am]
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