Preparation of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement on East-West Corridor Transit Improvements in Miami-Dade County, FL, 30014-30016 [E6-7865]
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30014
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 24, 2006 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Summary Notice No. PE–2006–14]
Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.
This notice is published pursuant to
14 CFR 11.85 and 11.91.
Petitions for Exemption; Summary of
Petitions Received
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of petitions for
exemption received.
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 17,
2006.
Ida M. Klepper,
Acting Director, Office of Rulemaking.
Petitions for Exemption
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AGENCY:
Docket No.: FAA–2001–10967.
Petitioner: Experimental Aircraft
Association.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to FAA’s rulemaking
Section of 14 CFR Affected: 14 CFR
provisions governing the application,
135.251, 135.255, and appendices I and
processing, and disposition of petitions
J to part 121.
for exemption part 11 of Title 14, Code
Description of Relief Sought: To
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), this
permit Experimental Aircraft
notice contains a summary of certain
Association (EAA), to authorize a pilot
petitions seeking relief from specified
requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of or an event sponsor (EAA Chapter) to
participate in up to six charitable
this notice is to improve the public’s
sightseeing events per calendar year
awareness of, and participation in, this
based upon special or unique
aspect of FAA’s regulatory activities.
community needs.
Neither publication of this notice nor
[FR Doc. E6–7858 Filed 5–23–06; 8:45 am]
the inclusion or omission of information
in the summary is intended to affect the BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
legal status of any petition or its final
disposition.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DATES: Comments on petitions received
must identify the petition docket
Federal Transit Administration
number involved and must be received
Preparation of a Supplemental Draft
on or before June 13, 2006.
Environmental Impact Statement on
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
[identified by DOT DMS Docket Number East-West Corridor Transit
Improvements in Miami-Dade County,
FAA–2001–10967] by any of the
FL
following methods:
• Web site: https://dms.dot.gov.
AGENCIES: Federal Transit
Follow the instructions for submitting
Administration (FTA), U.S. Department
comments on the DOT electronic docket of Transportation (DOT).
site.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
supplemental draft environmental
• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
impact statement.
U.S. Department of Transportation, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building,
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit
Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–
Administration (FTA) and Miami-Dade
001.
Transit (MDT) intend to prepare a
• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on
Supplemental Draft Environmental
the plaza level of the Nassif Building,
Impact Statement (SDEIS) in accordance
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
with the National Environmental Policy
DC, between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday
Act of 1969 (NEPA), for the proposed
through Friday, except Federal
East-West Transit Corridor Study in
Holidays.
Miami-Dade County, Florida, between
Docket: For access to the docket to
Florida International University (FIU)
read background documents or
and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC)
comments received, go to
at Miami International Airport (MIA).
https://dms.dot.gov at any time or to
The SDEIS will evaluate at least three
Room PL–401 on the plaza level of the
alternatives: a No-Build Alternative; a
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street,
Transportation System Management
SW., Washington, DC, between 9 am
(TSM) Alternative; a Build Alternative;
and 5 pm, Monday through Friday,
and any reasonable alternatives
except Federal Holidays.
uncovered during the public scoping
process. Scoping will be accomplished
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim
through meetings and correspondence
Adams (202) 267–8033, Sandy
with interested persons, organizations,
Buchanan-Sumter (202) 267–7271,
the general public, Federal, State and
Shanna Harvey (202) 493–4657,or John
local agencies. MDT will create a
Linsenmeyer (202) 267–5174, Office of
Rulemaking (ARM–1), Federal Aviation Coordination Plan to actively include
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public and participating agency
involvement and comment during the
entire NEPA process. The Coordination
Plan will be found on the East-West
Corridor Web site at https://
www.miamidade.gov/transit. The
purpose of this Notice of Intent is to renotify interested parties of the intent to
prepare the SDEIS and invite
participation in the Study. An Advance
Notification for the original East-West
Corridor Multimodal Project was issued
in 1993. The study area being evaluated
in this SDEIS traverses the western
portion (i.e., FIU to MIC) of the entire
East-West Corridor between FIU and the
Port of Miami that was studied in the
East-West Multimodal Corridor Major
Investment Study/Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS) in 1995
and the East-West Multimodal Corridor
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) in 1998. A Locally Preferred
Alternative (LPA)/Minimum Operable
Segment (MOS) emerged from this
process and was the subject of a Record
of Decision jointly issued by the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) and
FTA in 1998. With approval of the
People’s Transportation Plan (PTP) by
Miami-Dade County voters in 2002,
along with changes in growth and
development along the western portion
of the corridor, a redefinition of planned
transit investments resulted in the
locally proposed alternative. It is the
intention of this action to improve
mobility in the East-West Corridor.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written
comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be
considered should be sent to Ms. Maria
C. Batista, Project Manager by June 30,
2006. See ADDRESSES below. Scoping
Meetings: A Miami-Dade Transit agency
coordination meeting will be held on
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m. to
5 p.m. at Florida International
University, Miami, Florida. Public
scoping meetings will be held on
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m. at Florida International
University, Miami, Florida, and on
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m. at St. Dominic Catholic Church,
Miami, Florida. See ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
project scope should be sent to Ms.
Maria C. Batista, Project Manager,
Miami-Dade Transit, 111 NW., First
Street, Suite 910, Miami, Florida 33128–
1970. The fax number is 305.372.6017.
Scoping meetings will be held at the
following locations:
Agency Coordination Meeting
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m.
to 5 p.m.
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 24, 2006 / Notices
Florida International University,
Graham Building, University Park,
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida.
Public Meetings
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m.
Florida International University,
Graham Building, University Park,
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 from 7 p.m. to
9 p.m. St. Dominic Catholic Church,
Senior Center Hall, 5849 NW 7th Street,
Miami, Florida.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Tony Dittmeier, Transportation Program
Specialist, Federal Transit
Administration, Atlanta Regional Office,
(404) 562–3512.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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I. Scoping
The current East-West Transit
Corridor SDEIS is re-examining
improved transit service in the portion
of the East-West Corridor between FIU
and the MIC at MIA. The MDT and FTA
invite interested individuals,
organizations, and Federal, State, and
local agencies to participate in defining
the purpose and need for, and refining
the scope of the East-West Transit
Corridor SDEIS. Comments should focus
on identifying any significant social,
economic, or environmental issues
related to the proposed alternatives.
Specific suggestions related to
alignment variations to be examined
and issues to be addressed are welcome
and will be considered in the final
scope for the study. Scoping comments
should focus on the issues for analysis.
Comments may be made at the scoping
meetings or in writing no later than June
30, 2006. See DATES and ADDRESSES
above for meeting times and locations
and the address for written comments.
A scoping information packet is
available from Ms. Maria C. Batista at
the address given above or on the MDT
internet Web page at https://
www.miamidade.gov/transit. See
ADDRESSES above.
II. Description of Study Area and
Project Need
The study area is located in central
Miami-Dade County, Florida, beginning
at the University Park Campus of FIU
and ending just past MIA at the
proposed MIC. The study area covers
approximately a three-mile by nine-mile
rectangle, generally bounded by NW
25th Street on the north; SW 8th Street
on the south; the Homestead Extension
of Florida’s Turnpike (SR 821) on the
west; and NW 37th Avenue to the east.
It encompasses the area 1.5 miles north
and south of the Dolphin Expressway
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17:08 May 23, 2006
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(SR 836). The study area includes
portions of the Cities of Miami,
Sweetwater, and Doral, as well as areas
within unincorporated Miami-Dade
County. This area is highly urbanized
with the older and denser development
to the east (i.e., downtown Miami and
Miami Beach), and the more recent and
less dense development in the suburbs
to the west and south.
The proposed transit alternative
would serve the airport, portions of the
City of Miami along the Dolphin
Expressway, the City of Sweetwater, the
City of Doral and FIU. It would provide
an additional means of transportation
within and through the heavilycongested East-West Corridor, thereby
improving accessibility to major activity
centers in the corridor and in the region
generally. This would include improved
mobility between residential suburbs to
the south and west and the
employment, cultural, and tourism
centers to the east such as MIA,
downtown Miami, the Port of Miami,
and Miami Beach.
The purpose of and need for pursuing
additional transit options to address
mobility and accessibility issues in the
East-West Corridor is based on the
following key elements:
• The Miami-Dade Metropolitan
Planning Organization (MPO), MDT,
elected officials, and the people of
Miami-Dade County have shown their
commitment to major transportation
capital investment in the corridor
through officially adopted plans and
approval of a referendum to commit
sales tax revenues to fund expansion of
the Metrorail system in this corridor.
• The roadway network in the
corridor is heavily congested with many
segments that have significantly high
crash rates and unreliable travel
conditions and times.
• The corridor contains several major
employment/activity centers, including
Miami International Airport, the single
most important economic force and trip
generator in the region.
• The efficiency of current transit
service in the corridor, provided
exclusively by bus, is hampered by the
same factors that have impaired
mobility along the congested roadway
network in the corridor.
• With only one current and two
planned east-west express bus routes in
the corridor, current and potential
transit users in the study area would
benefit greatly from a higher level of
transit service.
• Once the planned expansion of the
Dolphin Expressway is completed, there
will be essentially no capacity to further
expand the roadway network in any
substantial way, either for general
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30015
purpose traffic or exclusive transit
lanes, due to the high cost of acquiring
property for right-of-way and associated
adverse environmental impacts and
community disruption.
• In order to meet projected growth
and sustain continued economic
viability within the corridor and the
region, a major investment in transit is
needed to meet mobility and
accessibility needs.
In a region where high capacity
transportation facilities are primarily
oriented north-south, the East-West
Corridor is Miami-Dade County’s most
important and heavily traveled eastwest route. Much of the growth in
recent years has occurred in the western
and southwestern portions of the region,
including the western portion of the
East-West Corridor, which has seen
rapid growth in population, households,
and employment. The study area
currently has more than 195,000
residents in 68,000 households and
some 180,500 jobs. Official growth
forecasts indicate that this trend will
continue with population increasing by
44,000 (23 percent) by the year 2030 and
jobs increasing by 60,000 (33 percent).
Several studies have clearly
demonstrated the need for public
transportation improvements to
accommodate the East-West Corridor’s
substantial population growth,
increasing employment and
development, and the need for a wider
range of mobility options to meet rising
east-west travel demand within and
through the corridor. Both the MiamiDade MPO’s 2030 Long-Range
Transportation Plan (LRTP) and the
People’s Transportation Plan have
designated the East-West Corridor as a
priority corridor for extension of
Metrorail service. In November 2002,
the voters of Miami-Dade County
approved the People’s Transportation
Plan and a one-half percent sales tax
increase to fund the plan. The PTP
includes an extension of Metrorail
service from the MIC to FIU. The
extension of Metrorail service from the
MIC to FIU also is designated as a
Priority I project in the MPO’s
financially constrained 2030 LRTP,
approved by the MPO Governing Board
in December 2004.
III. Alternatives
The transportation alternatives
proposed for consideration in this study
area include:
No-Build Alternative—The No-Build
Alternative includes the existing street,
highway, and transit facilities and
services and those transit and highway
improvements planned and
programmed to be implemented by
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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 100 / Wednesday, May 24, 2006 / Notices
2030. The No-Build Alternative
provides the baseline for establishing
the environmental impacts of the
proposed alternatives, and assumes the
following projects will be completed:
• Extension of the Stage 1 Metrorail
Line from the existing Earlington
Heights station to a new station at the
MIC.
• MIC–MIA Connector fixed
guideway people mover system linking
MIA and the MIC.
• Increase in Tri-Rail service
frequencies to 20-minute headways
during peak periods between MIA and
Mangonia Park Station in Palm Beach
County.
Transportation System Management
(TSM) Alternative—The TSM
Alternative is defined as lower cost,
operationally-oriented improvements to
address the transportation problems
identified in the corridor. It also
provides a baseline against which the
effectiveness of the Build Alternative is
evaluated and rated for federal New
Starts funding, and would include the
following:
• Express, limited-stop bus service
along the Dolphin Expressway.
• Enhanced bus service on major eastwest arterials.
• Park-and-ride facilities at the same
locations as the Build Alternative and
sized to meet the forecasted demand.
• Enhanced bus stations at the same
locations as the Build Alternative.
• The TSM Alternative also includes
all improvements identified under the
No-Build Alternative.
Build Alternative—The Build
Alternative consists of an approximately
10.1 mile, two-track, elevated, heavy rail
extension of Metrorail from the MIC at
MIA west to FIU, with proposed stations
at the NW 57th Avenue/Blue Lagoon,
NW 72nd Ave./Palmetto Expressway,
NW 87th Avenue, NW 97th Avenue,
NW 107th Avenue, and FIU. The LPA
that was developed as a result of the
initial environmental studies prepared
in the 1990’s continues to form the basis
of the current SDEIS effort. The Build
Alternative connects FIU with the MIC
at MIA by following the Florida
Turnpike northward from FIU and then
the Dolphin Expressway eastward to the
MIC. It would be developed as a direct
extension of the existing Metrorail
system. Several land use and
development changes have occurred
since the previous studies that require
some minor refinement of the alignment
and station location options. These
refinements are being developed in
consultation with state and local
agencies and the surrounding
community. The intent of these
refinements to the alternative is to stay
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17:08 May 23, 2006
Jkt 208001
generally within the original corridor
while looking to improvements that
would enhance the ridership potential
of the line, reduce costs where feasible,
and further mitigate environmental
impacts.
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts
for Analysis
The FTA and MDT will evaluate all
significant environmental, social, and
economic impacts of the alternatives
analyzed in the SDEIS. Environmental
and social impacts proposed for analysis
include land use, zoning, and economic
development; secondary development;
land acquisition, displacements, and
relocation of existing uses; historic
resources; visual and aesthetic qualities;
neighborhoods and communities;
environmental justice; air quality; noise
and vibration; hazardous materials;
ecosystems; water resources; energy;
safety and security; utilities; traffic and
transportation; natural areas; threatened
and endangered species; ground water
and potentially contaminated sites;
wetlands; and floodplain areas. The
SDEIS will also evaluate secondary and
cumulative impacts. Potential impacts
will be assessed for the long-term
operation of each alternative and the
short-term construction period.
Measures to avoid, minimize, or
mitigate any significant adverse impacts
will be identified.
V. Public Involvement
A comprehensive public involvement
program has been developed and a
public and agency involvement
Coordination Plan will be created. The
program includes a project Web site
(https://www.miamidade.gov/transit);
outreach to local and county officials
and community and civic groups; a
public scoping process to define the
issues of concern among all parties
interested in the study; a public hearing
on release of the supplemental draft
environmental impact statement
(SDEIS); establishment of walk-in
project offices in the corridor; and
development and distribution of project
newsletters.
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
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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,
MDT may seek § 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 a MDT
request to initiate preliminary
engineering, which is normally done in
conjunction with the NEPA process.
Pertinent New Starts evaluation criteria
will be included in the Final
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement.
Issued On: May 17, 2006.
Yvette G. Taylor,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6–7865 Filed 5–23–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–57–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA–2005–22176; Notice 2]
Nissan Motor Company and Nissan
North America, Denial of Petition for
Decision of Inconsequential
Noncompliance
Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. and
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan)
have determined that certain vehicles
that they produced in 2004 through
2005 do not comply with S9.2.2 of 49
CFR 571.225, Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 225,
‘‘Child restraint anchorage systems.’’
Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and
30120(h), Nissan has petitioned for a
determination that this noncompliance
is inconsequential to motor vehicle
safety and has filed an appropriate
report pursuant to 49 CFR part 573,
‘‘Defect and Noncompliance Reports.’’
Notice of receipt of the petition was
published, with a 30 day comment
period, on August 25, 2005 in the
Federal Register (70 FR 49972). NHTSA
received a comment from Advocates for
Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates)
as well as a comment by Nissan
responding to Advocates’ comment.
Affected are a total of approximately
24,655 model year (MY) 2005 Infiniti FX
vehicles manufactured from September
1, 2004 to July 13, 2005, and 65,361 MY
2005 Nissan Maxima vehicles
manufactured from September 1, 2004
to July 11, 2005. There was also mention
in the Federal Register notice of 167
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30014-30016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7865]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact
Statement on East-West Corridor Transit Improvements in Miami-Dade
County, FL
AGENCIES: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental draft environmental
impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Miami-Dade
Transit (MDT) intend to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (SDEIS) in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), for the proposed East-West Transit Corridor
Study in Miami-Dade County, Florida, between Florida International
University (FIU) and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) at Miami
International Airport (MIA). The SDEIS will evaluate at least three
alternatives: a No-Build Alternative; a Transportation System
Management (TSM) Alternative; a Build Alternative; and any reasonable
alternatives uncovered during the public scoping process. Scoping will
be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested
persons, organizations, the general public, Federal, State and local
agencies. MDT will create a Coordination Plan to actively include
public and participating agency involvement and comment during the
entire NEPA process. The Coordination Plan will be found on the East-
West Corridor Web site at https://www.miamidade.gov/transit. The purpose
of this Notice of Intent is to re-notify interested parties of the
intent to prepare the SDEIS and invite participation in the Study. An
Advance Notification for the original East-West Corridor Multimodal
Project was issued in 1993. The study area being evaluated in this
SDEIS traverses the western portion (i.e., FIU to MIC) of the entire
East-West Corridor between FIU and the Port of Miami that was studied
in the East-West Multimodal Corridor Major Investment Study/Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS) in 1995 and the East-West
Multimodal Corridor Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in
1998. A Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA)/Minimum Operable Segment
(MOS) emerged from this process and was the subject of a Record of
Decision jointly issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
and FTA in 1998. With approval of the People's Transportation Plan
(PTP) by Miami-Dade County voters in 2002, along with changes in growth
and development along the western portion of the corridor, a
redefinition of planned transit investments resulted in the locally
proposed alternative. It is the intention of this action to improve
mobility in the East-West Corridor.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to Ms. Maria
C. Batista, Project Manager by June 30, 2006. See ADDRESSES below.
Scoping Meetings: A Miami-Dade Transit agency coordination meeting will
be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Florida
International University, Miami, Florida. Public scoping meetings will
be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Florida
International University, Miami, Florida, and on Tuesday, June 13, 2006
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Miami, Florida.
See ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to Ms.
Maria C. Batista, Project Manager, Miami-Dade Transit, 111 NW., First
Street, Suite 910, Miami, Florida 33128-1970. The fax number is
305.372.6017.
Scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
Agency Coordination Meeting
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
[[Page 30015]]
Florida International University, Graham Building, University Park,
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida.
Public Meetings
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Florida International University, Graham Building, University Park,
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida. Tuesday, June 13, 2006 from 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. St. Dominic Catholic Church, Senior Center Hall, 5849 NW 7th
Street, Miami, Florida.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tony Dittmeier, Transportation
Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Atlanta Regional
Office, (404) 562-3512.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
The current East-West Transit Corridor SDEIS is re-examining
improved transit service in the portion of the East-West Corridor
between FIU and the MIC at MIA. The MDT and FTA invite interested
individuals, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies to
participate in defining the purpose and need for, and refining the
scope of the East-West Transit Corridor SDEIS. Comments should focus on
identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues
related to the proposed alternatives. Specific suggestions related to
alignment variations to be examined and issues to be addressed are
welcome and will be considered in the final scope for the study.
Scoping comments should focus on the issues for analysis. Comments may
be made at the scoping meetings or in writing no later than June 30,
2006. See DATES and ADDRESSES above for meeting times and locations and
the address for written comments. A scoping information packet is
available from Ms. Maria C. Batista at the address given above or on
the MDT internet Web page at https://www.miamidade.gov/transit. See
ADDRESSES above.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The study area is located in central Miami-Dade County, Florida,
beginning at the University Park Campus of FIU and ending just past MIA
at the proposed MIC. The study area covers approximately a three-mile
by nine-mile rectangle, generally bounded by NW 25th Street on the
north; SW 8th Street on the south; the Homestead Extension of Florida's
Turnpike (SR 821) on the west; and NW 37th Avenue to the east. It
encompasses the area 1.5 miles north and south of the Dolphin
Expressway (SR 836). The study area includes portions of the Cities of
Miami, Sweetwater, and Doral, as well as areas within unincorporated
Miami-Dade County. This area is highly urbanized with the older and
denser development to the east (i.e., downtown Miami and Miami Beach),
and the more recent and less dense development in the suburbs to the
west and south.
The proposed transit alternative would serve the airport, portions
of the City of Miami along the Dolphin Expressway, the City of
Sweetwater, the City of Doral and FIU. It would provide an additional
means of transportation within and through the heavily-congested East-
West Corridor, thereby improving accessibility to major activity
centers in the corridor and in the region generally. This would include
improved mobility between residential suburbs to the south and west and
the employment, cultural, and tourism centers to the east such as MIA,
downtown Miami, the Port of Miami, and Miami Beach.
The purpose of and need for pursuing additional transit options to
address mobility and accessibility issues in the East-West Corridor is
based on the following key elements:
The Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO),
MDT, elected officials, and the people of Miami-Dade County have shown
their commitment to major transportation capital investment in the
corridor through officially adopted plans and approval of a referendum
to commit sales tax revenues to fund expansion of the Metrorail system
in this corridor.
The roadway network in the corridor is heavily congested
with many segments that have significantly high crash rates and
unreliable travel conditions and times.
The corridor contains several major employment/activity
centers, including Miami International Airport, the single most
important economic force and trip generator in the region.
The efficiency of current transit service in the corridor,
provided exclusively by bus, is hampered by the same factors that have
impaired mobility along the congested roadway network in the corridor.
With only one current and two planned east-west express
bus routes in the corridor, current and potential transit users in the
study area would benefit greatly from a higher level of transit
service.
Once the planned expansion of the Dolphin Expressway is
completed, there will be essentially no capacity to further expand the
roadway network in any substantial way, either for general purpose
traffic or exclusive transit lanes, due to the high cost of acquiring
property for right-of-way and associated adverse environmental impacts
and community disruption.
In order to meet projected growth and sustain continued
economic viability within the corridor and the region, a major
investment in transit is needed to meet mobility and accessibility
needs.
In a region where high capacity transportation facilities are
primarily oriented north-south, the East-West Corridor is Miami-Dade
County's most important and heavily traveled east-west route. Much of
the growth in recent years has occurred in the western and southwestern
portions of the region, including the western portion of the East-West
Corridor, which has seen rapid growth in population, households, and
employment. The study area currently has more than 195,000 residents in
68,000 households and some 180,500 jobs. Official growth forecasts
indicate that this trend will continue with population increasing by
44,000 (23 percent) by the year 2030 and jobs increasing by 60,000 (33
percent).
Several studies have clearly demonstrated the need for public
transportation improvements to accommodate the East-West Corridor's
substantial population growth, increasing employment and development,
and the need for a wider range of mobility options to meet rising east-
west travel demand within and through the corridor. Both the Miami-Dade
MPO's 2030 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and the People's
Transportation Plan have designated the East-West Corridor as a
priority corridor for extension of Metrorail service. In November 2002,
the voters of Miami-Dade County approved the People's Transportation
Plan and a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the plan. The
PTP includes an extension of Metrorail service from the MIC to FIU. The
extension of Metrorail service from the MIC to FIU also is designated
as a Priority I project in the MPO's financially constrained 2030 LRTP,
approved by the MPO Governing Board in December 2004.
III. Alternatives
The transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in this
study area include:
No-Build Alternative--The No-Build Alternative includes the
existing street, highway, and transit facilities and services and those
transit and highway improvements planned and programmed to be
implemented by
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2030. The No-Build Alternative provides the baseline for establishing
the environmental impacts of the proposed alternatives, and assumes the
following projects will be completed:
Extension of the Stage 1 Metrorail Line from the existing
Earlington Heights station to a new station at the MIC.
MIC-MIA Connector fixed guideway people mover system
linking MIA and the MIC.
Increase in Tri-Rail service frequencies to 20-minute
headways during peak periods between MIA and Mangonia Park Station in
Palm Beach County.
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--The TSM
Alternative is defined as lower cost, operationally-oriented
improvements to address the transportation problems identified in the
corridor. It also provides a baseline against which the effectiveness
of the Build Alternative is evaluated and rated for federal New Starts
funding, and would include the following:
Express, limited-stop bus service along the Dolphin
Expressway.
Enhanced bus service on major east-west arterials.
Park-and-ride facilities at the same locations as the
Build Alternative and sized to meet the forecasted demand.
Enhanced bus stations at the same locations as the Build
Alternative.
The TSM Alternative also includes all improvements
identified under the No-Build Alternative.
Build Alternative--The Build Alternative consists of an
approximately 10.1 mile, two-track, elevated, heavy rail extension of
Metrorail from the MIC at MIA west to FIU, with proposed stations at
the NW 57th Avenue/Blue Lagoon, NW 72nd Ave./Palmetto Expressway, NW
87th Avenue, NW 97th Avenue, NW 107th Avenue, and FIU. The LPA that was
developed as a result of the initial environmental studies prepared in
the 1990's continues to form the basis of the current SDEIS effort. The
Build Alternative connects FIU with the MIC at MIA by following the
Florida Turnpike northward from FIU and then the Dolphin Expressway
eastward to the MIC. It would be developed as a direct extension of the
existing Metrorail system. Several land use and development changes
have occurred since the previous studies that require some minor
refinement of the alignment and station location options. These
refinements are being developed in consultation with state and local
agencies and the surrounding community. The intent of these refinements
to the alternative is to stay generally within the original corridor
while looking to improvements that would enhance the ridership
potential of the line, reduce costs where feasible, and further
mitigate environmental impacts.
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
The FTA and MDT will evaluate all significant environmental,
social, and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the SDEIS.
Environmental and social impacts proposed for analysis include land
use, zoning, and economic development; secondary development; land
acquisition, displacements, and relocation of existing uses; historic
resources; visual and aesthetic qualities; neighborhoods and
communities; environmental justice; air quality; noise and vibration;
hazardous materials; ecosystems; water resources; energy; safety and
security; utilities; traffic and transportation; natural areas;
threatened and endangered species; ground water and potentially
contaminated sites; wetlands; and floodplain areas. The SDEIS will also
evaluate secondary and cumulative impacts. Potential impacts will be
assessed for the long-term operation of each alternative and the short-
term construction period. Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any
significant adverse impacts will be identified.
V. Public Involvement
A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed and a
public and agency involvement Coordination Plan will be created. The
program includes a project Web site (https://www.miamidade.gov/transit);
outreach to local and county officials and community and civic groups;
a public scoping process to define the issues of concern among all
parties interested in the study; a public hearing on release of the
supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS);
establishment of walk-in project offices in the corridor; and
development and distribution of project newsletters.
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, MDT may seek Sec. 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 a MDT request to initiate preliminary engineering, which is
normally done in conjunction with the NEPA process. Pertinent New
Starts evaluation criteria will be included in the Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement.
Issued On: May 17, 2006.
Yvette G. Taylor,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-7865 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P
