[Federal Register: November 1, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 211)]
[Notices]
[Page 64332-64334]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01no06-137]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the
Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project in the Southern Portion of the San
Francisco Bay Area, CA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Peninsula Corridor
Joint Powers Board (PCJPB) are planning to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Dumbarton Rail
Corridor (DRC) Project, an approximately 21-mile commuter rail
extension on existing rail alignment to provide commuter rail service
between the Peninsula and the East Bay across the southern part of the
San Francisco Bay. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
as well as provisions of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The
purpose of this Notice of Intent is to alert interested parties
regarding the plan to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the
proposed transit project, to invite participation in the EIS process,
including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in this notice, and
to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Marie
Pang,
[[Page 64333]]
PCJPB Environmental Manager, by November 30, 2006. Public scoping
meetings will be held on November 15, 2006 and November 16, 2006 from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at locations indicated under ADDRESSES below. An
interagency scoping meeting for agencies with an interest in the
proposed project will be held on November 16, 2006 from 3 p.m. to 5
p.m. at the West Bay location listed below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to
Marie Pang, Environmental Manager, Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers
Board, P.O. Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306. Comments may also be
offered at the public scoping meetings. The addresses for the public
scoping meetings are as follows:
East Bay Location: Wednesday, November 15, 2006, Newark Community
Center, 35501 Cedar Blvd, Newark, CA 94560.
West Bay Location: Thursday, November 16, 2006, City of Menlo Park
Senior Center, 110 Terminal Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025.
The meeting facilities will be accessible to persons with
disabilities. If special translation or signing services or other
special accommodations are needed, please contact Beth Altshuler at
510-845-7549, ext. 165 at least 48 hours before the scoping meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerome Wiggins, Transportation Program
Specialist, of the Federal Transit Administration's San Francisco
Regional Office at (415) 744-3115.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Proposed Project: The Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project proposes
to provide east-west commuter rail service across the southern section
of the S.F. Bay. This would be accomplished by primarily rehabilitating
and reconstructing rail facilities on existing alignment and right-of-
way. The alignment consists of two parts. The first part is an existing
11-mile rail corridor extending east along the former Southern Pacific
Centerville line from Redwood Junction in San Mateo County across the
Dumbarton and Newark Slough Railroad Bridges to the Newark Junction in
Alameda County. It is owned by the San Mateo County Transit District
(Samtrans). The second part is an existing 10-mile rail corridor owned
by the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), extending from Newark Junction
east along the Niles subdivision through Union City to the UPRR Oakland
subdivision rail corridor at Industrial Parkway. The project also
includes the construction of a train layover yard on the east side and
three new stations: Willow Road Station (Menlo Park/East Palo Alto),
Newark Station, and the Union City Intermodal Station.
Service will consist of six daily trains originating from Union
City in the morning peak period and traveling westward across the
Dumbarton Rail Corridor, The trains converge with the existing Caltrain
line in the West Bay. From the Caltrain line, three of the trains will
travel north to San Francisco while the other three trains will travel
south to San Jose. During the afternoon peak period, all trains will
travel eastbound back to Union City. The three new stations plus the
Centerville Station in Fremont would be directly served by DRC trains.
The Capitol Corridor trains would also be served by the Union City
Intermodal, Newark and Centerville stations. The ACE trains would be
served by the Newark and Centerville stations.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project: In March 2004, the
voters of the Bay Area counties passed the Regional Traffic Relief
Plan, also known as Regional Measure 2 (RM2) to fund a variety of
transportation improvements to help relieve traffic congestion and
enhance the convenience and reliability of the region's public transit
system by raising bridge tolls. RM2 includes funding for the proposed
DRC Project. This project is included in the 2007 Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP) adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC) on October 2, 2006.
A connection is needed to address transportation issues and
deficiencies related to highway congestion, transit, population and
employment, and air quality in the corridor. The purpose of the
proposed Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project is to use existing rail
infrastructure to provide an east-west rail connection in the southern
portion of the San Francisco Bay, connecting the communities of the
East Bay and the West Bay.
Alternatives: In addition to the No Action Alternative, two rail
alternatives and one bus alternative are proposed to be evaluated in
the EIS. An Alternatives Analysis was conducted to identify the most
feasible rail and bus alternatives to be carried forward into detailed
environmental studies. The Alternatives Analysis study process was
directed and guided by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and a
Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). These committees consisted of
representatives from state, regional and county transportation/transit
agencies, as well as the affected cities on both sides of the Bay. The
Alternatives Analysis report was approved by the Policy Advisory
Committee on June 20, 2006. The final report is available on the
official Dumbarton Rail Corridor Project Web site at http://www.caltrain.com/dumbartonrail
.
The alternatives under consideration are:
(1) No Action--The Dumbarton Express bus service will continue to
be the only commuter transit between the East Bay and the Peninsula
that crosses the southern portion of the Bay.
(2) Alternative A--DRC trackage, connecting to the existing
Caltrain Corridor on the Peninsula at Redwood Junction, will cross the
San Francisco Bay via the Dumbarton Railroad Bridge, run through Newark
and connect to existing tracks that run north to Union City. The track
improvements will include the Shinn Connection and the Industrial
Parkway Connection, which will connect the DRC with ACE and Capitol
Corridor trains in Fremont and Union City in the East Bay. A train
storage and layover yard will be constructed. Two locations are under
consideration. Three new stations will be constructed at Union City,
Newark and Menlo Park. The Centerville Station in Fremont would be
upgraded. Reconstruction of the marine bridges crossing the San
Francisco Bay includes replacement of the Dumbarton and the Newark
Slough moveable bridges and the modification of the Henderson
Underpass. New railroad signals and a Centralized Traffic Control
system will be provided to control movements onto and through the
Dumbarton Rail Corridor.
(3) Alternative B--The same as Alternative A, with the addition of
the Niles Junction Connection. The freight traffic through the Fremont
Centerville station will be decreased by re-routing freight trains
between the Oakland Subdivision and the Niles Subdivision over the new
Niles Junction Connection.
(4) Bus Alternative--This alternative proposes a new bus route that
originates in Union City, crosses the Dumbarton Highway Bridge (Route
84), and travels to Redwood Shores.
This alternative could serve as the initial start-up phase of an
expanded bus service across the Dumbarton Highway Bridge. The expanded
service would extend northward to Foster City, Millbrae, Oyster Point
and Brisbane on the Peninsula.
The EIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the
Public: The purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public
setting potentially significant effects of implementing the proposed
action and alternatives on the physical, human, and natural
environment. Areas of investigation
[[Page 64334]]
include, but are not limited to, land use, environmental justice,
historic resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise
and vibration, energy use, traffic, safety and security, wetlands,
threatened and endangered species, and hazardous materials. Regulations
implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the recently enacted Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public involvement in the EIS process.
Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA and PCJPB do the
following: (1) Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal
agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in the proposed
project to become ``participating agencies'', (2) provide an
opportunity for involvement by participating agencies and the public in
helping to define the purpose and need for a proposed project, as well
as the range of alternatives for consideration in the impact statement,
and (3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency
participation in and comment on the environmental review process. An
invitation to become a participating agency, with the scoping
information packet appended, will be extended to other Federal and non-
Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in the
proposed project. It is possible that we may not be able to identify
all Federal and non-Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have
such an interest. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or Indian tribe
interested in the proposed project that does not receive an invitation
to become a participating agency should notify, at the earliest
opportunity, the Environmental Manager identified above under
ADDRESSES.
A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed. A
Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) consisting of local and county
officials and a Project Development Team consisting of representatives
of state, regional and local agencies are already in place. A Community
Advisory Committee will be established. The program also includes a
public scoping process, public hearings on release of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), development of project
newsletters and their distribution and posting on the project Web site.
We invite the public and participating agencies to consider the
preliminary statement of purposes of and need for the proposed project,
as well as the alternatives proposed for consideration. Comments on
potential significant environmental impacts that may be associated with
the proposed project are also welcomed. All comments and suggestions
will be given serious consideration.
In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) and 771.133, 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 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), section
404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), Executive Orders 11988,
11990 and 12898 regarding floodplains, wetlands, and environmental
justice, respectively, Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800), Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act (50 CFR part 402), and section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135).
Issued on: October 26, 2006.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, FTA, Region 9.
[FR Doc. E6-18393 Filed 10-31-06; 8:45 am]
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