Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement for the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis in Southeast Florida; Including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach Counties, FL, 15511-15513 [E6-4497]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 28, 2006 / Notices
Comments on this notice must be
received by April 27, 2006: Attention
DOT/OST Desk Officer, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Office of Management and Budget,
Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Caffin Gordon, Chief, Compliance
Operations Division, S–34,
Departmental Office of Civil Rights,
Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department
of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street,
SW., Washington, DC 20590, (202) 366–
9370 or (TTY) 202–366–0663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Titles: Individual Complaint of
Employment Discrimination.
OMB Numbers: New Collection.
Affected Public: Job applicants filing
EEO employment discrimination
complaints. An applicant’s filing of an
EEO employment complaint is solely
voluntary.
Annual Estimated Burden: 16 hours.
Comments are invited on: Whether
the proposed collection of Information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; the accuracy of
the Department’s estimate of the burden
of the proposed information collection;
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES:
Issued in Washington, DC on March 22,
2006.
Steven B. Lott,
Manager, IT Investment Management Office,
Office of the Chief Information Officer, United
States Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. E6–4473 Filed 3–27–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–62–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Air Traffic Procedures Advisory
Committee
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing this notice
to advise the public that a meeting of
the Federal Aviation Air Traffic
Procedures Advisory Committee
(ATPAC) will be held to review present
air traffic control procedures and
practices for standardization,
clarification, and upgrading of
terminology and procedures.
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:19 Mar 27, 2006
Jkt 208001
The meeting will be held
Tuesday, April 18, 2006 from 9 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 19, 2006,
from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday,
April 20, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Federal Aviation Administration,
Conference Rooms 1A and 2A, 600
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Nancy Kalinowski, Executive Director,
ATPAC, System Operations Airspace
and Aeronautical Information, 800
Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20591, telephone (202)
267–9205.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant
to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–
463; 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice is hereby
given of a meeting of the ATPAC to be
held Tuesday, April 18, 2006 from 9
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 19,
2006, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and
Thursday, April 20, 2006, from 9 a.m. to
12 p.m.
The agenda for this meeting will
cover: A continuation of the
Committee’s review of present air traffic
control procedures and practices for
standardization, clarification, and
upgrading of terminology and
procedures. It will also include:
1. Approval of Minutes.
2. Submission and Discussion of
Areas of Concern.
3. Discussion of Potential Safety
Items.
4. Report from Executive Director.
5. Items of Interest.
6. Discussion and agreement of
location and dates for subsequent
meetings.
Attendance is open to the interested
public but limited to space available.
With the approval of the Chairperson,
members of the public may present oral
statements at the meeting. Persons
desiring to attend and persons desiring
to present oral statements should notify
the person listed above not later than
April 11, 2006. The next quarterly
meeting of the FAA ATPAC is planned
to be held from July 11–13, 2006, in
Washington, DC.
Any member of the public may
present a written statement to the
Committee at any time at the address
given above.
DATES:
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 20,
2006.
Nancy Kalinowski,
Executive Director, Air Traffic Procedures
Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 06–2974 Filed 3–27–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–M
PO 00000
Frm 00140
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
15511
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of Environmental Impact
Statement for the South Florida East
Coast Corridor Transit Analysis in
Southeast Florida; Including MiamiDade, Broward, Palm Beach Counties,
FL
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The FTA and the Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT)
are issuing this notice to advise the
public that, in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), Tier 1 of a Tiered,
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (PEIS) will be prepared for
the South Florida East Coast Corridor
Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) to evaluate
transit improvements in Miami-Dade,
Broward and Palm Beach Counties,
Florida. The SFECCTA is located along
the eastern spine of the tri-county South
Florida region, centered on but not
limited to the Florida East Coast (FEC)
Railway alignment. The study proposes
in Tier 1 to evaluate preferred
technologies (e.g., rail, bus, express bus,
etc.) and alignments through areas with
heavily congested roadways and underserved, transit-dependent populations.
These areas extend from Downtown
Miami north through Ft. Lauderdale’s
Central Business District (CBD) and
north of Downtown West Palm Beach to
the Town of Jupiter and Village of
Tequesta in northern Palm Beach
County. The Tier 1 Analysis consists of
a Regional Transit Alternatives
Analysis. The Tier 2 Analyses will
consist of subsequent Sectional
Alternatives Analyses (per independent
section of the SFECCTA study area).
DATES: Scoping meetings: A series of
public scoping meetings will be held in
North Miami, Miami-Dade County; Fort
Lauderdale, Broward County; and, West
Palm Beach, Palm Beach County,
Florida between April 17th and April
24th, 2006. See ADDRESSES below.
Comment Due Date: Written comments
on the scope of alternatives and impacts
to be considered should be sent to Scott
P. Seeburger, Project Manager, Florida
Department of Transportation by May
30th, 2006. See ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
project scope should be sent to: Scott P.
Seeburger, Project Manager, Florida
Department of Transportation, District
E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM
28MRN1
15512
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 28, 2006 / Notices
IV Planning and Environmental
Management, 3400 West Commercial
Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309–
3421, (954) 777–4632,
scott.seeburger@dot.state.fl.us.
All scoping meetings will be held in
wheelchair-accessible locations as
follows:
Broward County: Monday, April 17th,
2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at Broward
County Main Library—6th Floor, 100
South Andrews Avenue—Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Miami-Dade County: Wednesday,
April 19th, 2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at
Gwen Margolis Community Center,
1590 N.E. 123rd Street—North Miami,
Florida.
Palm Beach County: Monday, April
24th, 2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at Cohen
Pavilion at the Kravis Center, Lecture
Hall A 701 West Okeechobee
Boulevard—West Palm Beach, Florida.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tony Dittmeier, Transportation Program
Specialist, Federal Transit
Administration, Atlanta Federal Center,
61 Forsyth St., SW., Suite 17T50,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Telephone: (404)
562–3512.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
I. Scoping
FTA, in cooperation with FDOT and
the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA), will establish the scope of the
Tiered, PEIS for the SFECCTA in
accordance with NEPA after consulting
with Federal, State, and local resource
and regulatory agencies through
meetings and correspondence, and after
hearing from the general public.
Interested individuals, organizations,
and agencies are invited to participate
in defining the alternatives to be
evaluated and related issues of concern
with this study. An Advance
Notification (AN) describing the
proposed project study in detail with
maps, figures and summary tables of
socio-economic, social-cultural,
environmental and other information
was sent out by FDOT on January 23,
2006 and is also available on the project
Web site at https://www.sfeccstudy.com/
documents.html or by contacting Scott
Seeburger, the FDOT Project Manager at
the address, phone number, or email
address given above under ADDRESSES.
Also contact Mr. Seeburger to be placed
on the project mailing list and receive
information about the public scoping
meetings and the project newsletter.
Written comments on the alternatives
and potential impacts to be considered
should be sent to Scott Seeburger of
FDOT.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:19 Mar 27, 2006
Jkt 208001
II. Description of Study Area and
Project Need
As described in detail in the FDOT
AN mentioned above, the proposal is to
improve transit services within a 2-mile
wide, 85-mile long corridor (100 miles
with connections to seaports and
airports) along the eastern spine of
development in southeast Florida
within the contiguous urbanized
portions of Miami-Dade, Broward and
Palm Beach Counties, Florida. This 203
square mile (mi2 ) study area is centered
along, but not exclusively considering,
the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway
from Downtown Miami (at the MiamiDade Government Center) through the
Central Business Districts (CBDs) of
Downtown Aventura, Hollywood, Ft.
Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach,
West Palm Beach, and Jupiter, Florida.
Improvements to transit services in this
tri-county, single Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) are considered
necessary to provide for the existing and
projected demands to move goods and
people (i.e., freight and transit).
Federal transit law requires that
projects proposed for FTA funding come
from a long range metropolitan
transportation plan that is fiscally
constrained and conforms to State air
quality plans. The proposed project has
been found consistent with the
approved comprehensive Long Range
Transportation Plans of the MiamiDade, Broward, and Palm Beach County
Metropolitan Planning Organizations
(MPOs) and with the local
gubernatorially-approved 2005 MiamiDade, Broward, and Palm Beach County
MPO Transportation Improvement Plans
(TIPs). The project is also consistent
with the Federally-approved conforming
TIPs of each of the three MPOs. The
study area is highly developed,
experiencing rapid redevelopment/
densification, and project need is
demonstrated in that the capacity of
transportation facilities and services
throughout the eastern portion of the tricounty area is not adequate for the
present movement of goods and people.
Furthermore, demographics indicate a
growing populace of transit dependent
commuters that current capacity cannot
properly service. Freight service also
needs to be upgraded in order to meet
future freight demands. The seaports
have focused on the corridor along the
FEC Railway for new intermodal and
freight transportation capacity given
that roadway expansion is limited. The
safe and efficient movement of freight
and people to and from the South
Florida area is important to the overall
economic and environmental health of
the region.
PO 00000
Frm 00141
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
III. Alternatives
Alternatives under consideration
include (1) taking no action; (2)
Transportation Systems Management
(TSM)/Baseline Alternative (planned
transportation improvements);
(3) Build Alignment Alternatives
including:
• FEC railway corridor
• US 1/Federal Highway/Biscayne
Boulevard
• Dixie Highway
• Other roadways
(4) Build Technology/Transit Services
Alternatives including:
• Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR)
• Commuter Rail Transit (CRT),
including Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU)
or Diesel-Electric Multiple Units
(DEMU)
• Heavy Rail Transit (HRT)
• Monorails
• Light Rail Transit (LRT), including
Light Diesel Multiple Unit (LDMU) or
Light Diesel-Electric Multiple Units
(LDEMU)
• Automated Guideway Transit
(AGT)
• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
• Express Bus
• Waterborne Transit
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts
for Analysis
FTA and FDOT will evaluate all
environmental, social, and economic
impacts of the alternatives analyzed in
the SFECCTA. This study will be
incorporated into and serve as a source
of information for the federal and state
resource as well as regulatory agencies
participating in Florida’s Efficient
Transportation Decision Making
(ETDM) Process. The ETDM process was
recently developed in response to the
environmental provisions contained in
Section 1309 of the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA–
21), called ‘‘Environmental
Streamlining.’’ The SFECCTA will be
conducted in full compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 and other related
Federal and State laws, rules, and
regulations. The SFECCTA will also be
developed in accordance with the
environmental provisions of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users (SAFETEA–LU).
The Tiered EIS will evaluate purpose
and need for the project, including
project status, capacity, system linkage,
legislation, social demands or economic
development, modal interrelationships,
and safety. The impact areas to be
addressed include land use (existing,
future, transit supportive/future
E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM
28MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 28, 2006 / Notices
cprice-sewell on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
patterns, and redevelopment potential);
wetlands; floodplains; wildlife and
habitat; specially designated waters
(Outstanding Florida Waters and
Aquatic Preserves); Coastal Zone
Consistency Determination; cultural
resources; coastal barrier resources;
contamination; sole source aquifers;
noise and vibration; essential fish
habitat; potential environmental justice
issues as well as secondary, cumulative,
and construction-related impacts; air
and water quality; navigable waterway
crossings; and permits required. The
need for right-of-way acquisitions and
relocations will also be evaluated.
Alternative alignments, designs, station
locations, and other measures to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts
will be developed and evaluated. The
exact Purpose and Need and Range of
Alternatives for this project will be
established after an opportunity by the
participating agencies and the public for
involvement.
V. Public Involvement
Letters describing the proposed action
and soliciting comments will be sent to
appropriate Federal, State, and local
agencies, and to private organizations
and citizens who have expressed
interest in this proposal. The
environmental review process for this
project will include ‘‘participating
agencies’’ from Federal, state, local
agencies and tribal nations that have an
interest in the project. Further, FTA and
FDOT will establish a coordination plan
for agency and public participation and
comment. A public Web site has also
been created for the project (https://
www.sfeccstudy.com) where project
information, notification of public
meetings, and an opportunity to join the
mailing list are provided. A series of
public meetings (in conjunction with
the project scoping meetings) will be
held in North Miami, Miami-Dade
County; Fort Lauderdale, Broward
County; and, West Palm Beach, Palm
Beach County, Florida between April
17th and April 24th, 2006. In addition,
a public hearing will be held at the
completion of each Tier of the PEIS.
Public notice will be given of the time
and place of the meetings and hearing.
For each Tier, the Draft PEIS will be
made available for public and agency
review and comment. Formal scoping
meetings are being held in conjunction
with the public meetings listed above
and are published on the project Web
site’s public meeting page.
To ensure that the full range of issues
related to the proposed action are
addressed and all significant issues
identified, comments and suggestions
are invited from all interested parties.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:19 Mar 27, 2006
Jkt 208001
Comments or questions concerning this
proposed action and the PEIS should be
directed to the FTA at the address
provided previously.
VI. FTA Procedures
In accordance with FTA policy, all
Federal laws, regulations, and executive
orders affecting project development,
including but not limited to the
regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality and FTA
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts
1500–1508, and 23 CFR part 771), the
1990 Clean Air Act Amendments,
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act,
Executive Order 12898 regarding
environmental justice, the National
Historic Preservation Act, the
Endangered Species Act, and Section
4(f) of the DOT Act, will be addressed
to the maximum extent practicable
during the NEPA process. In addition,
FDOT seeks section 5309 New Starts
funding for the project and will
therefore be subject to the FTA New
Starts regulation (49 CFR part 611). This
New Starts regulation requires the
submission of certain specified
information to FTA to support an FDOT
request to initiate preliminary
engineering, which is normally done in
conjunction with the NEPA process.
Issued on: March 23, 2006.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6–4497 Filed 3–27–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[Docket No. FTA–2006–23511]
Supplemental Request for Comments
on Issues Relating to ‘‘Joint
Development’’ of Intercity Bus and
Intercity Rail Stations and Terminals
and Extension of Comment Period
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Solicitation of comment;
Extension of comment period.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity
Act of 2005: A Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA–LU) enacted certain
amendments to the definition of the
term ‘‘capital project’’ as used in 49
U.S.C. 5301 et seq. (Federal Transit
Law) relating to ‘‘joint development’’
activities by recipients of Federal funds
under Federal Transit Law. In order to
assist the Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) in developing a
proposed guidance document
PO 00000
Frm 00142
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
15513
concerning the implementation of such
amendments, FTA published a
proposed guidance document on
January 31, 2006 (71 FR 5107). Since
publication of that document, FTA
identified several other issues on which
we would like to receive public input,
and, thus, we are extending the
comment period for an additional thirty
days. Also, please be advised that the
previously published guidance on joint
development will not operate as interim
or final guidance for FTA unless and
until otherwise stated by FTA, in
writing.
Comments should be received on
or before April 27, 2006. Late filed
comments will be considered to the
extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
[identified by DOT DMS Docket Number
FTA–2006–23511] by any of the
following methods:
Web Site: https://dms.dot.gov. Follow
the instructions for submitting
comments on the DOT electronic docket
site.
Fax: 202–493–2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–0001.
Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on the
plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, D.C.,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Instructions: You must include the
agency name (Federal Transit
Administration) and the docket number
(FTA–2006–23511). You should submit
two copies of your comments if you
submit them by mail. If you wish to
receive confirmation that FTA received
your comments, you must include a
self-addressed stamped postcard. Note
that all comments received will be
posted without change to the
Department’s Docket Management
System (DMS) Web site located at
https://dms.dot.gov. This means that if
your comment includes any personal
identifying information, such
information will be made available to
users of DMS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
program questions, please contact
Robert Tuccillo at (202) 366–4050. For
legal questions, please contact Jayme
Blakesley at (202) 366–0304. The
principal office of FTA is located at 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590–0001. Office hours are from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\28MRN1.SGM
28MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15511-15513]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4497]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement for the South
Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis in Southeast Florida;
Including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach Counties, FL
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FTA and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
are issuing this notice to advise the public that, in accordance with
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Tier 1 of a Tiered,
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) will be prepared for
the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) to
evaluate transit improvements in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
Counties, Florida. The SFECCTA is located along the eastern spine of
the tri-county South Florida region, centered on but not limited to the
Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway alignment. The study proposes in Tier
1 to evaluate preferred technologies (e.g., rail, bus, express bus,
etc.) and alignments through areas with heavily congested roadways and
under-served, transit-dependent populations. These areas extend from
Downtown Miami north through Ft. Lauderdale's Central Business District
(CBD) and north of Downtown West Palm Beach to the Town of Jupiter and
Village of Tequesta in northern Palm Beach County. The Tier 1 Analysis
consists of a Regional Transit Alternatives Analysis. The Tier 2
Analyses will consist of subsequent Sectional Alternatives Analyses
(per independent section of the SFECCTA study area).
DATES: Scoping meetings: A series of public scoping meetings will be
held in North Miami, Miami-Dade County; Fort Lauderdale, Broward
County; and, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida between April
17th and April 24th, 2006. See ADDRESSES below. Comment Due Date:
Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be
considered should be sent to Scott P. Seeburger, Project Manager,
Florida Department of Transportation by May 30th, 2006. See ADDRESSES
below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to:
Scott P. Seeburger, Project Manager, Florida Department of
Transportation, District
[[Page 15512]]
IV Planning and Environmental Management, 3400 West Commercial
Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309-3421, (954) 777-4632,
scott.seeburger@dot.state.fl.us.
All scoping meetings will be held in wheelchair-accessible
locations as follows:
Broward County: Monday, April 17th, 2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at
Broward County Main Library--6th Floor, 100 South Andrews Avenue--Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Miami-Dade County: Wednesday, April 19th, 2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at
Gwen Margolis Community Center, 1590 N.E. 123rd Street--North Miami,
Florida.
Palm Beach County: Monday, April 24th, 2006, from 3 to 9 p.m. at
Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center, Lecture Hall A 701 West Okeechobee
Boulevard--West Palm Beach, Florida.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tony Dittmeier, Transportation Program
Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Atlanta Federal Center, 61
Forsyth St., SW., Suite 17T50, Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Telephone: (404)
562-3512.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA, in cooperation with FDOT and the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), will establish the scope of the Tiered, PEIS for
the SFECCTA in accordance with NEPA after consulting with Federal,
State, and local resource and regulatory agencies through meetings and
correspondence, and after hearing from the general public. Interested
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to participate in
defining the alternatives to be evaluated and related issues of concern
with this study. An Advance Notification (AN) describing the proposed
project study in detail with maps, figures and summary tables of socio-
economic, social-cultural, environmental and other information was sent
out by FDOT on January 23, 2006 and is also available on the project
Web site at https://www.sfeccstudy.com/documents.html or by contacting
Scott Seeburger, the FDOT Project Manager at the address, phone number,
or email address given above under ADDRESSES. Also contact Mr.
Seeburger to be placed on the project mailing list and receive
information about the public scoping meetings and the project
newsletter. Written comments on the alternatives and potential impacts
to be considered should be sent to Scott Seeburger of FDOT.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
As described in detail in the FDOT AN mentioned above, the proposal
is to improve transit services within a 2-mile wide, 85-mile long
corridor (100 miles with connections to seaports and airports) along
the eastern spine of development in southeast Florida within the
contiguous urbanized portions of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach
Counties, Florida. This 203 square mile (mi2 ) study area is
centered along, but not exclusively considering, the Florida East Coast
(FEC) Railway from Downtown Miami (at the Miami-Dade Government Center)
through the Central Business Districts (CBDs) of Downtown Aventura,
Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, West Palm Beach,
and Jupiter, Florida. Improvements to transit services in this tri-
county, single Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) are considered
necessary to provide for the existing and projected demands to move
goods and people (i.e., freight and transit).
Federal transit law requires that projects proposed for FTA funding
come from a long range metropolitan transportation plan that is
fiscally constrained and conforms to State air quality plans. The
proposed project has been found consistent with the approved
comprehensive Long Range Transportation Plans of the Miami-Dade,
Broward, and Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organizations
(MPOs) and with the local gubernatorially-approved 2005 Miami-Dade,
Broward, and Palm Beach County MPO Transportation Improvement Plans
(TIPs). The project is also consistent with the Federally-approved
conforming TIPs of each of the three MPOs. The study area is highly
developed, experiencing rapid redevelopment/densification, and project
need is demonstrated in that the capacity of transportation facilities
and services throughout the eastern portion of the tri-county area is
not adequate for the present movement of goods and people. Furthermore,
demographics indicate a growing populace of transit dependent commuters
that current capacity cannot properly service. Freight service also
needs to be upgraded in order to meet future freight demands. The
seaports have focused on the corridor along the FEC Railway for new
intermodal and freight transportation capacity given that roadway
expansion is limited. The safe and efficient movement of freight and
people to and from the South Florida area is important to the overall
economic and environmental health of the region.
III. Alternatives
Alternatives under consideration include (1) taking no action; (2)
Transportation Systems Management (TSM)/Baseline Alternative (planned
transportation improvements);
(3) Build Alignment Alternatives including:
FEC railway corridor
US 1/Federal Highway/Biscayne Boulevard
Dixie Highway
Other roadways
(4) Build Technology/Transit Services Alternatives including:
Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR)
Commuter Rail Transit (CRT), including Diesel Multiple
Unit (DMU) or Diesel-Electric Multiple Units (DEMU)
Heavy Rail Transit (HRT)
Monorails
Light Rail Transit (LRT), including Light Diesel Multiple
Unit (LDMU) or Light Diesel-Electric Multiple Units (LDEMU)
Automated Guideway Transit (AGT)
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Express Bus
Waterborne Transit
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
FTA and FDOT will evaluate all environmental, social, and economic
impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the SFECCTA. This study will be
incorporated into and serve as a source of information for the federal
and state resource as well as regulatory agencies participating in
Florida's Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) Process. The
ETDM process was recently developed in response to the environmental
provisions contained in Section 1309 of the Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century (TEA-21), called ``Environmental Streamlining.''
The SFECCTA will be conducted in full compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and other related Federal and
State laws, rules, and regulations. The SFECCTA will also be developed
in accordance with the environmental provisions of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
The Tiered EIS will evaluate purpose and need for the project,
including project status, capacity, system linkage, legislation, social
demands or economic development, modal interrelationships, and safety.
The impact areas to be addressed include land use (existing, future,
transit supportive/future
[[Page 15513]]
patterns, and redevelopment potential); wetlands; floodplains; wildlife
and habitat; specially designated waters (Outstanding Florida Waters
and Aquatic Preserves); Coastal Zone Consistency Determination;
cultural resources; coastal barrier resources; contamination; sole
source aquifers; noise and vibration; essential fish habitat; potential
environmental justice issues as well as secondary, cumulative, and
construction-related impacts; air and water quality; navigable waterway
crossings; and permits required. The need for right-of-way acquisitions
and relocations will also be evaluated. Alternative alignments,
designs, station locations, and other measures to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate adverse impacts will be developed and evaluated. The exact
Purpose and Need and Range of Alternatives for this project will be
established after an opportunity by the participating agencies and the
public for involvement.
V. Public Involvement
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will
be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and to
private organizations and citizens who have expressed interest in this
proposal. The environmental review process for this project will
include ``participating agencies'' from Federal, state, local agencies
and tribal nations that have an interest in the project. Further, FTA
and FDOT will establish a coordination plan for agency and public
participation and comment. A public Web site has also been created for
the project (https://www.sfeccstudy.com) where project information,
notification of public meetings, and an opportunity to join the mailing
list are provided. A series of public meetings (in conjunction with the
project scoping meetings) will be held in North Miami, Miami-Dade
County; Fort Lauderdale, Broward County; and, West Palm Beach, Palm
Beach County, Florida between April 17th and April 24th, 2006. In
addition, a public hearing will be held at the completion of each Tier
of the PEIS. Public notice will be given of the time and place of the
meetings and hearing. For each Tier, the Draft PEIS will be made
available for public and agency review and comment. Formal scoping
meetings are being held in conjunction with the public meetings listed
above and are published on the project Web site's public meeting page.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed
action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or
questions concerning this proposed action and the PEIS should be
directed to the FTA at the address provided previously.
VI. FTA Procedures
In accordance with FTA policy, all Federal laws, regulations, and
executive orders affecting project development, including but not
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR part 771),
the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act,
Executive Order 12898 regarding environmental justice, the National
Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Section 4(f)
of the DOT Act, will be addressed to the maximum extent practicable
during the NEPA process. In addition, FDOT seeks section 5309 New
Starts funding for the project and will therefore be subject to the FTA
New Starts regulation (49 CFR part 611). This New Starts regulation
requires the submission of certain specified information to FTA to
support an FDOT request to initiate preliminary engineering, which is
normally done in conjunction with the NEPA process.
Issued on: March 23, 2006.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-4497 Filed 3-27-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
