[Federal Register: March 10, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 47)]
[Notices]
[Page 12420-12421]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10mr06-157]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the Denton County, TX,
Transportation Authority Commuter Rail Project
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Denton County
Transportation Authority (DCTA) issue this notice to advise interested
agencies and the public of their intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the regulations implementing
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for transportation
improvements in Denton and Dallas Counties, Texas. Transit improvements
will be considered generally between Denton and Carrollton along the
former Missouri Kansas Texas (MKT) Railroad line that parallels I-35E,
as recommended by the DCTA Board of Directors in May 2005 following a
study of the transportation needs in the corridor and an analysis of
alternative solutions. The relationships of concurrent projects such as
the I-35E Environmental Analysis (EA) being conducted by the Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Northwest Corridor Light Rail
Transit project being advanced by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART),
and others, will also be considered in the EIS process.
Transportation improvements are needed to meet current and future
travel demands and to upgrade the transportation facilities in the
corridor. The EIS will evaluate the recommended regional rail
alignment, the No-Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems
Management (TSM) alternative, and any additional reasonable
alternatives that emerge from scoping.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written or electronic comments on the scope of
the EIS, including the purpose and need for transportation action in
the corridor, and alternatives and impacts to be considered, should be
sent to the project team's public involvement coordinator (see
ADDRESSES below) by March 31, 2006. Scoping Meetings: Public scoping
meetings will be held on February 28, 2006, in Denton, TX, and March
2,20076, in Lewisville, TX, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the locations
shown in ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written or electronic comments on the EIS scope should be
sent to: Judy Meyer, Public Involvement Lead, c/o Public Information
Associates, P.O. Box 570, Allen, Texas 75013; Phone: 888-724-5328; Fax:
214-495-0479; E-mail: Judy.Meyer@dfwair.net.
Scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
6-8 p.m., Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St.,
Denton, TX 76205.
Thursday, March 2, 2006
6-8 p.m., Lewisville Senior Center, 1950 S. Valley Parkway, Lewisville,
TX 75067.
Information on the time and place of the public scoping meetings
will be provided in the local newspapers and other media outlets. The
scoping information packet is available on the Internet at http://www.RailDCTA.net.
The packet is also available in hardcopy form by
contacting Judy Meyer as indicated above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sweek, Community Planner, Federal
Transit Administration, Region VI; (817) 978-0550.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping of the EIS
The FTA, in cooperation with the DCTA, will prepare an EIS for
transportation improvements along the MKT Railroad line that parallels
I-35E between Denton and Carrollton. Interested individuals,
organizations, businesses and Federal, state and local agencies are
invited to participate in determining the scope of the EIS, including
the purpose and need for transportation action in the corridor,
alternative alignments, alternative station locations, impacts to be
evaluate, and environmental or community resources to be protected.
Specific suggestions on additional alternatives to be examined and
issues to be addressed are welcome and will be considered in the
development in the final study scope. Scoping comments may be made
orally or in writing not later than March 31, 2006. See DATES and
ADDRESSES above. Additional information on the EIS process, the purpose
and need, alternatives, and anticipated impact
[[Page 12421]]
issues are available from DCTA. See DATES and ADDRESSES above.
The EIS will evaluate transit improvement alternatives, the No-
Action alternative, and a Transportation System Management (TSM)
alternative based on the Purpose and Need statement developed for the
corridor during the previous Alternatives Analysis (AA). The AA
document is available for public review on the Internet at http://www.RailDCTA.net
or by contacting the project office at the address in
ADDRESSES above. The AA document will also be available for review at
the public scoping meetings. Alternatives will be reviewed and analyzed
through an extensive agency and community outreach process. The EIS
evaluation will result in a decision about which transportation
projects, if any, will be built to address the states purpose and need
for transportation action in the corridor.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The study area for the EIS evaluation is the travelshed that
parallels I-35E between Denton and Carrollton. The purpose of the
proposed action is to decrease congestion, and improve safety, access,
and mobility. More details are available in the scoping information
packet. See ADDRESSES above.
III. Alternatives To Be Considered
The alternatives evaluated in the EIS will include, but not limited
to, the recommended Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) developed in
the AA, and approved by the DCTA Board of Directors in May 2005. This
alternative consisted of Regional Rail (also called Commuter Rail) on
the MKT alignment. Feeder bus improvements also were included as part
of the recommended LPA. In addition, an existing bicycle/hiking trail
on the northern portion of the corridor would be relocated within the
railroad right-of-way as a `rails-with-trails' facility. Five stations
were proposed on the alignment during the AA: downtown Denton; south
Denton; north Lewisville; downtown Lewisville; and south Lewisville;
with a connection to the DART light rail station at Belt Line in
Carrollton.
The EIS will again examine other reasonable alternatives emerge
from scoping. These may include alternatives that were screened out
during the AA but that may now be available due to recent demographic
trends, anticipated funding levels, or technological advances. The EIS
will also evaluate the appropriate end-of-line and associated
facilities and connections into the DART system in Carrollton and in
downtown Denton. As part of the transit evaluation, station locations,
railyard facilities, and other ancillary facilities such as stormwater
management systems will be studied and identified as appropriate.
The EIS will also fully evaluate the No-Action Alternative and a
TSM alternative. Other alternatives may be added as a result of scoping
and agency coordination efforts.
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
The EIS evaluation will analyze social, economic, and environmental
impacts of the alternatives. Major issues to be evaluated include air
quality, noise and vibration, aesthetics, community cohesion impacts,
and possible disruption of neighborhoods, businesses and commercial
activities. The impact areas and level of detail addressed in the EIS
will be consistent with the requirements of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 and
the FTA/Federal Highway Administration environmental regulation
(Environmental Impact and Related Procedures, 23 CFR part 771 and 40
CFR parts 1500-1508) and other environmental and related regulations.
Among other factors, the EIS will evaluate:
Transportation service including future corridor capacity;
Transit ridership and costs;
Traffic movements and changes and associated impacts to
local facilities;
Community impacts such as land use, displacements, noise
and vibration, neighborhood compatibility and aesthetics; and
Resource impacts including impacts to historic and
archaeological resources, parklands, cultural resource impacts,
environmental justice, and natural resource impacts including air
quality, wetlands, water quality, and wildlife.
The proposed impact assessment and evaluation will take into
account both positive and negative impacts, direct and indirect
impacts, short-term (during the construction period) and long-terms
impacts, and site-specific as well as corridor-wide impacts. Mitigation
measures will be identified for any adverse environmental impacts that
are identified.
Other potential impacts may be added as a result of scoping and
agency coordination efforts.
Issued on: March 7, 2006.
Robert C. Patrick,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Fort Worth,
Texas.
[FR Doc. 06-2337 Filed 3-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M