Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Major Transit Improvements in the University Corridor of Metropolitan Houston, TX, 29380-29381 [06-4730]

Agencies

• Federal Transit Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 98 (Monday, May 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29380-29381]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4730]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Major 
Transit Improvements in the University Corridor of Metropolitan 
Houston, TX

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan 
Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) intend to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate proposed public 
transportation improvements in the Houston metropolitan area. The area 
being studied, known as the University Corridor, extends approximately 
ten miles from the vicinity of the University of Houston--Central 
Campus to the Uptown/Galleria area in southwest Houston. METRO is 
proposing to construct an electric-powered light rail transit line on 
one of several possible alignments in the corridor. The EIS will 
examine and evaluate a number of transit alternatives including a 
Transportation Systems Management Alternative and various Build 
Alternatives, consisting of light rail vehicles powered from overhead 
wires, by an internal diesel-electric system, or by an alternative fuel 
hybrid-electric system and alignment options within the corridor; and 
any additional alternatives generated by the scoping process. The 
location and design of needed ancillary facilities, such as maintenance 
facilities, will also be considered. Scoping of the EIS will be 
accomplished through a series of public meetings and stakeholder 
meetings, through correspondence with interested persons, 
organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies, and through 
posting a scoping information packet on the internet and distributing 
the packet in hardcopy upon request.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the EIS, 
including the purpose and need for transit improvements in the 
corridor, the alternatives to be studied, and the environmental and 
community impacts to be considered should be sent to the Metropolitan 
Transit Authority of Harris County at the address under ADDRESSES below 
no later than July 14, 2006.
    Scoping Meeting Dates: Public scoping meetings to discuss the scope 
of the EIS will be held on June 27, 2006 and June 29, 2006. See 
ADDRESSES below for meeting times and locations. Formal presentations 
of the proposed scope of the study will be made at the meetings, and 
will be followed by an opportunity for the public to comment on the 
purpose and need, alternatives to be evaluated, and environmental and 
community impact issues to be assessed. METRO staff will be available 
for informal questions and comments throughout the meeting. Scoping 
information material will be available at the meetings and may also be 
obtained in advance of the meeting by contacting METRO at the address 
or e-mail identified in ADDRESSES below. The scoping information will 
also be available on the project Web site at https://
www.metrosolutions.org/go/doc/1068/112145/. Oral or written comments 
may be given at the scoping meetings. A court reporter will be present 
at the meetings to record oral comments. Any person who requires 
language interpretation or communication accommodations is encouraged 
to contact Karen Marshall at METRO at (713) 739-4980 or by 2-mail at 
METROSolutions-University@ridemetro.org at least 72 hours prior to the 
scoping meetings. Every reasonable effort will be made to meet special 
needs. The location for the meetings will be accessible to persons with 
disabilities. A scoping meeting for the public agencies invited to 
serve as participating agencies in the EIS study will be organized 
later through direct mailouts or telephone invitations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to 
the following address by July 14, 2006: Rhonda Boyer, 1900 Main St., 
P.O. Box 61429, Houston, Texas 77208-1429, METROSolutions-
University@ridemetro.org.
    The public scoping meetings will be held at the following locations 
and times:
    1. Third Ward Multi-Service Center, Tuesday, June 27, 2006, 4 p.m. 
to 7 p.m. at 3611 Ennis, Houston, Texas 77004.
    2. San Jacinto Girl Scout Headquarters, Thursday June 29, 2006, 4 
p.m. to 7 p.m. at 3110 S.W. Freeway, Houston, Texas 77098.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sweek, Community Planner, FTA, 
Region VI, 819 Taylor Street, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102, Telephone (817) 
978-0550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    METRO and FTA invite all interested individuals and organizations, 
and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies to participate in 
defining the purpose and need for transit action in the University 
Corridor, in developing alternatives to be evaluated to meet that 
purpose and need, and in identifying any social, economic and 
environmental issues related to the alternatives. During the scoping 
process, comments should focus on refining the purpose and need 
statement, developing alternatives to meet the purpose and need that 
have comparable or lower cost and less adverse impact, and identifying 
specific social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated.

II. Purpose and Need

    The University Corridor study area is defined as beginning at the 
University of Houston--Central Campus and extending westward to the 
inner southwest part of Houston, generally bounded by Calhoun Street on 
the east, Chimney Rock on the west, Westheimer on the north and 
Bissonnet on the south. The University Corridor extends approximately 
10 miles east to west and includes the Greenway Plaza, the Uptown/
Galleria, the University of Houston--Central Campus, the Texas Southern 
University, and the St. Thomas University areas. Portions of the 
alignment are densely developed. New development and redevelopment is 
occurring along the corridor and is expected to generate increases in 
travel demand.
    A key component of the University Corridor is the regional 
connectivity the transit line will offer. A number of travel 
destinations are located along the corridor. The alignment will provide 
a transfer opportunity at the Wheeler Station providing a direct 
connection to the existing Main Street LRT line, which provides service 
to Downtown, Midtown, the Museum District and the Texas Medical Center. 
A transfer opportunity to the proposed Southeast Corridor BRT project 
will also be provided at Scott Street.

[[Page 29381]]

    From Calhoun Street to Chimney Rock, the corridor is characterized 
by fairly dense residential and commercial development. Two major 
employment centers, Uptown/Galleria and Greenway Plaza, will be 
directly serviced by the University line, and Downtown and the Texas 
Medical Center may be reached by a light rail connection at the Wheeler 
station. The corridor will also provide direct service to four major 
universities: University of Houston--Central Campus, Texas Southern 
University, Houston Community College--Central Campus, and St. Thomas 
University. Current local bus routes that operate in the University 
Corridor study area tend to be heavily utilized, and represent a 
significant share of the daily local bus ridership.
    Transit connection of major population, employment, and 
entertainment centers, including Downtown Houston, Uptown/Galleria, and 
Greenway Plaza, is a key purpose of this proposal. FTA and METRO seek 
public and agency comment on the purpose and need for transit action in 
the University Corridor.

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives presently proposed for consideration in the EIS 
are:
     Future No Build Alternative--Outside the study area, this 
alternative consists of the transportation network in the metropolitan 
transportation plan adopted by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-
GAC). Inside the study area, this alternative assumes that transit 
service will be continued and expanded to meet future population and 
employment growth in accordance with existing service policies.
     TSM Alternative: Bus service improvements beyond those of 
the Future No Build Alternative, which represent the best that can be 
done to meet the project's purpose and need without constructing a new 
transit guideway.
     LRT on Westpark and US 59: Rail vehicles and tracks on 
Westpark and US 59 with one of three alignments for transitioning west 
of Spur 527 in the vicinity of Edloe, Weslayan, or the Bellaire 
Juncture Railroad right-of-way and with one of three alignments for 
transitioning east of Spur 527 on Elgin, Alabama, or Wheeler. The 
impacts and costs alternative traction-power technologies for the light 
rail vehicles, including electric power from overhead wires, an on-
vehicle diesel-electric system, and an alternative fuel hybrid-electric 
system, will be studied. A hybrid-powered LRT system has not yet been 
used elsewhere in the United States.
     LRT on Richmond: Rail vehicles and tracks on Richmond with 
one of three alignments for transitioning west of Spur 527 in the 
vicinity of Edloe, Weslayan, or the Bellaire Juncture Railroad right-
of-way and with one of three alignments for transitioning east of Spur 
527 on Elgin, Alabama, or Wheeler. As with the Westpark/US 59 LRT 
alignment, alternative traction-power LRT technologies will be studied.
    Additional reasonable alternatives suggested during the scoping 
process, including those involving other modes or alignments, will also 
be considered. Alternative locations and designs for ancillary 
facilities, such as the transit vehicle storage and maintenance 
facility, traction power substations for electrically-powered vehicles, 
and stormwater management facilities, will be developed and presented 
in the EIS.

IV. Probable Effects and Potential Impacts for Analysis

    The purpose of the EIS is to evaluate the environmental 
consequences of alternative means of accomplishing the purpose and need 
for transit in the University Corridor study area in advance of a 
decision to commit substantial financial or other resources toward the 
project implementation. The EIS will examine the extent to which the 
study alternatives result in adverse environmental and community 
impacts and corresponding actions to reduce, mitigate, or eliminate 
such impacts.
    METRO and the FTA will evaluate all social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Primary 
issues known to the study team at present include:
     Land acquisition, displacement and relocation of existing 
residences and businesses;
     Historic, archaeological, and cultural resources;
     Parklands and recreation areas;
     Adverse impacts on neighborhoods and communities;
     Transit vehicle noise;
     Vibration of buildings due to rail vehicles; and
     Traffic impacts.
    Mitigation options for all adverse impacts will be developed and 
presented in the EIS. To ensure that all significant issues related to 
this proposed project are identified and addressed, comments and 
suggestions are encouraged from all interested parties during scoping. 
Comments or questions concerning the impacts of the various 
alternatives should be directed to METRO at the address given under 
ADDRESSES above.

V. FTA Procedures

    FTA and METRO will combine the draft EIS with the planning 
Alternatives Analysis required for New Starts projects (projects 
proposed for funding assistance through 49 U.S.C. 5309(d)). Following 
the public hearing and comment period for the draft EIS, METRO and H-
GAC will select a locally preferred alternative (LPA), and METRO will 
apply to FTA for entry into the Preliminary Engineering (PE) phase of 
project development. It is conceivable that the LPA may be combination 
of one or more alternative options studied. Wherever the LPA has 
adverse impacts, METRO and FTA will develop additional alignment and 
design alternatives during PE to avoid those adverse effects. If 
avoidance is determined not to be feasible and prudent, then 
minimization and mitigation options will be developed and evaluated. 
The final EIS will present the alternatives developed and evaluated 
during PE and commit to specific mitigation of adverse impacts.
    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 
project-level conformity provisions of the Clean Air Act, Section 404 
of the Clean Water Act, Executive Orders 11990 regarding wetlands, 
11988 regarding floodplains, and 12898 regarding environmental justice, 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act, and Section 4(f) of the Department of 
Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 303), will be addressed to the maximum 
extent practicable during the NEPA process.

    Issued on: May 17, 2006.
Robert C. Patrick,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Fort Worth, 
Texas.
[FR Doc. 06-4730 Filed 5-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M