Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Transit Improvements in the Crenshaw-Prairie Transit Corridor, Los Angeles, CA, 56126-56128 [E7-19415]

Agencies

• Federal Transit Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56126-56128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19415]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed 
Transit Improvements in the Crenshaw-Prairie Transit Corridor, Los 
Angeles, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles 
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) intend to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Crenshaw-
Prairie Transit Corridor Project. The proposed project would provide 
for transit improvements within the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor, which 
extends approximately 10 miles from Wilshire Boulevard on the north to 
El Segundo Boulevard on the south.
    The study area for the project includes portions of five 
jurisdictions: the Cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, El 
Segundo, as well as portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County, 
California. The study area is generally defined as the area extending 
north to Wilshire Boulevard, east to Arlington Avenue, south to El 
Segundo Boulevard, and west to Sepulveda and La Tijera Boulevards. A 
variety of land uses exist within the study area including single- and 
multi-family residences and commercial uses north of the Interstate 10 
(I-10) freeway and south of Slauson Avenue, commercial uses along 
Crenshaw Boulevard and in Hawthorne, industrial and public land uses in 
Inglewood and El Segundo, as well as redevelopment areas in Los 
Angeles, Inglewood, and Hawthorne.
    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing 
regulations. The Draft EIS will be combined with the planning 
Alternatives Analysis required by 49 U.S.C. 5309 for New Starts-funded 
projects. LACMTA will also use the EIS document to comply with the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which requires an 
Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The purpose of this notice is to 
alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, to 
provide information on the nature of the proposed project and possible 
alternatives, to invite public participation in the EIS process 
(including providing comments on the scope of the Alternatives 
Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS), to announce 
that public scoping meetings will be conducted, and to identify 
participating and cooperating agency contacts.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS, including the 
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the 
impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the 
evaluations should be sent to LACMTA on or before November 5, 2007 at 
the address below. See ADDRESSES below for the address to which written 
public comments may be sent. Public scoping meetings to accept comments 
on the scope of the EIS/EIR will be held on the following dates:
     Monday, October 15, 2007, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Darby 
Park, 3400 W. Arbor Vitae Street, Inglewood, CA 90305.
     Wednesday, October 17, 2007, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 
Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Boulevard, Los 
Angeles, CA 90016.
     Saturday, October 20, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at 
Audubon Middle School, 4120 11th Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90008.
    The project's purpose and need, and the initial set of alternatives 
proposed for study will be presented at these meetings. The buildings 
used for the scoping meetings are accessible to persons with 
disabilities. Any individual who requires special assistance, such as a 
sign language interpreter, to participate in a scoping meeting should 
contact Ms. Susan Gilmore, Los Angeles County Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority (LACMTA) at 213-922-7287, or 
gilmores@metro.net. 
    Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and are 
available on the LACMTA Web site (www.metro.net/crenshaw). Hard copies 
of the scoping materials may also be obtained from Ms. Susan Gilmore, 
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) at 
213-922-7287, or gilmores@metro.net. An interagency scoping meeting 
will be held on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 
LACMTA, One Gateway Plaza (Gateway Conference Room, 3rd Floor), Los 
Angeles, CA 90012.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Alan Patashnick, 
Project Manager and Director of South Bay Area Team, Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop: 
99-22-3, Los Angeles, California 90012, e-mail address 
patashnickalan@metro.net. The locations of the public scoping meetings 
are given above under DATES.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los 
Angeles Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit Administration, 888 South 
Figueroa Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA 90017, phone (213) 202-
3950, e-mail ray.tellis@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Scoping

    The FTA and LACMTA invite all interested individuals and 
organizations, public agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment 
on the scope of the EIS, including the project's purpose and need, the 
alternatives to be studied, the impacts to be evaluated, and the 
evaluation methods to be used. Comments should focus on: Alternatives 
that may be less costly or have less environmental or community impacts 
while achieving similar transportation objectives, and the 
identification of any significant social, economic, or environmental 
issues relating to the alternatives.

Purpose and Need for the Project

    The project purpose is to improve public transit service and 
mobility in the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor between Wilshire and El 
Segundo Boulevards. The overall goal of the proposed project is to 
improve mobility in the corridor by connecting with existing lines such 
as the Metro Green Line or approved transit lines, such as the 
Exposition Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line (under construction). The 
proposed project is included in the current LACMTA Long-Range 
Transportation Plan and in the Southern California Association of 
Governments' 2004 Regional Transportation Plan (https://www.scag.ca.gov/
rtp2004/2004/Final/07RTPProjectList.xls).
    Mobility issues in this corridor have been well documented in many 
studies, including the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor Preliminary Planning 
Study (1994), the Route Refinement Study (2000), and the Major 
Investment Study (MIS) (2003). These reports are available for review 
on the LACMTA Web site (https://www.metro.net/crenshaw). Additional 
considerations supporting the project's need include:

[[Page 56127]]

     Several major activity centers and destinations are 
concentrated in the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor including Los Angeles 
International Airport (LAX); the Great Western Forum; Hollywood Park; 
the commercial centers in Koreatown, the Crenshaw District, and 
downtown Inglewood; as well as office developments on Wilshire 
Boulevard and in downtown Inglewood and El Segundo.
     The MIS established that a north-south, high-capacity 
transportation connection is needed west of downtown Los Angeles and 
the Interstate 110 (I-110) freeway.
     The ``Centers Concept'' Land Use Policy in the Los Angeles 
Basin supports the development of high capacity transit corridors 
connecting the Centers, including Los Angeles, Inglewood, and LAX.
     The Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor's existing bus routes are 
some of the most productive and highest used.
     The Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor's transportation capacity 
needs to be increased to serve growth, without increasing mobile source 
ozone emissions in this air quality nonattainment area.
     The Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor currently has a high 
concentration of transit-supportive land uses and has high densities of 
both population and employment.
     Substantial numbers of transit-dependent persons reside in 
the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor.
     Significant population and employment growth is projected 
for the Crenshaw-Prairie Corridor.
     Existing and future travel demand patterns demonstrate a 
strong and growing need for high-capacity transit in the Crenshaw-
Prairie Corridor.
     Local policy direction is focused on travel demand 
management and transit solutions, rather than expansion of the roadway 
network.
    The public and participating and cooperating agencies are invited 
to consider and comment on this preliminary statement of the purpose 
and need for the proposed project.

Alternatives

    In addition to a No-Build Alternative, a range of reasonable 
alternatives will be evaluated in the EIS/EIR including, but not 
limited to, alternative transit technologies, alignments, operating 
plans, station locations, and a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) 
Alternative. The transit technologies to be evaluated, in addition to 
the No-Build and TSM Alternatives, will include Bus Rapid Transit 
(BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), and any other reasonable alternatives 
identified during scoping for the project.
    The primary alignments to be initially considered include:
    Wilshire/Crenshaw/Metro Green Line: This alternative alignment 
would extend south along Crenshaw Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard 
through Koreatown, the Crenshaw District, and downtown Inglewood. From 
Crenshaw Boulevard, the alignment would turn southwest along the LACMTA 
owned Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way, adjacent to Florence 
Avenue, and continue south to the existing Metro Green Line Aviation 
Station. A transfer connection would be provided to LAX from the 
Aviation Station.
    Exposition/Crenshaw/Metro Green Line: This alignment alternative 
would extend from the Exposition LRT Line (under construction) south 
along Crenshaw Boulevard, through the Crenshaw District and downtown 
Inglewood. From Crenshaw Boulevard, the alignment would turn southwest 
onto the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way, adjacent to Florence 
Avenue, and continue south to the existing Metro Green Line Aviation 
Station. A transfer connection would be provided to LAX from the 
Aviation Station.
    Wilshire/Crenshaw/La Brea/Hawthorne: This alignment alternative 
would extend south along Crenshaw Boulevard from Wilshire Boulevard to 
the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-way in Inglewood. From the 
right-of-way, the alignment would travel south along La Brea Avenue to 
Hawthorne Boulevard.
    Exposition/Crenshaw/Prairie/Hawthorne: This alignment alternative 
would extend south from the Exposition LRT Line (under construction) 
along Crenshaw Boulevard to the Harbor Subdivision railroad right-of-
way. From the right-of-way, the alignment would turn south along 
Prairie Avenue, turn west to connect to the existing Metro Green Line 
Hawthorne Station along the I-105 freeway, and continue south along 
Hawthorne Boulevard.
    The transit alternatives to be considered include:
    Bus Rapid Transit Alternative: This alternative would utilize BRT 
and operate via the Wilshire/Crenshaw/Metro Green Line or Wilshire/La 
Brea/Hawthorne alignments described above.
    Light Rail Transit Alternative: This alternative would utilize LRT 
and operate via the Exposition/Crenshaw/Metro Green Line or Exposition/
Crenshaw/Prairie/Hawthorne alignments described above.
    No Build Alternative: This alternative includes the committed 
highway and transit projects in the current LACMTA Long Range 
Transportation Plan and the 2030 Southern California Association of 
Governments' Regional Transportation Plan. For purposes of this EIS and 
comparison of alternatives, the major fixed-guideway investments under 
study for the Exposition Phase 2 and Westside Extension transit 
corridors are not included in the No-Build Alternative. The completion 
of the Metro Rapid Bus Program is included as well as possible 
additional feeder bus networks to serve the region's major activity 
centers.
    Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative: The TSM 
alternative enhances the No Build Alternative and emphasizes 
transportation system upgrade, such as intersection improvements, minor 
road widening, traffic engineering actions, bus route restructuring, 
shortened bus headways, expanded use of articulated buses, reserved bus 
lanes, expanded park/ride facilities, express and limited-stop service, 
signalization improvements, and timed-transfer operations.
    In addition to the alternatives described above, other transit 
alternatives identified through the public and agency scoping process 
will be evaluated for potential inclusion in the EIS.

Probable Effects

    The purpose of the EIS process is to explore, in a public setting, 
the effects of the proposed project and its alternatives on the 
physical, human, and natural environment. The FTA and LACMTA will 
evaluate all significant environmental, social, and economic impacts of 
the construction and operation of the proposed project. Impact areas to 
be addressed include: Transportation; land use, zoning and economic 
development; secondary development; land acquisition, displacements and 
relocations; cultural resources (including historical, archaeological, 
and paleontological resources) and parklands/recreation areas; 
neighborhood compatibility and environmental justice; visual and 
aesthetic impacts; natural resources (including air quality, noise and 
vibration, wetlands, water resources, geology/soils, and hazardous 
materials); energy use; safety and security; and wildlife and 
ecosystems (including endangered species). Measures to avoid, minimize, 
and mitigate all adverse impacts will be identified and evaluated.

FTA Procedures

    The regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the 
Safe,

[[Page 56128]]

Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy 
for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public involvement in the EIS process. 
Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA and LACMTA do the 
following: (1) Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal 
agencies and Native American tribes that may have an interest in the 
proposed project to become ``participating agencies;'' (2) provide an 
opportunity for involvement by participating agencies and the public to 
help define the purpose and need for a proposed project, as well as the 
range of alternatives for consideration in the EIS; and (3) establish a 
plan for coordinating public and agency participation in, and comment 
on, the environmental review process. An invitation to become a 
participating or cooperating agency, with scoping materials appended, 
will be extended to other Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native 
American tribes that may have an interest in the proposed project. It 
is possible that FTA and LACMTA will not be able to identify all 
Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American tribes that may 
have such an interest. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or Native 
American tribe interested in the proposed project that does not receive 
an invitation to become a participating agency should notify at the 
earliest opportunity the Project Manager identified above under 
ADDRESSES.
    A comprehensive public involvement program and a Coordination Plan 
for public and interagency involvement will be developed for the 
project and posted on LACMTA's Web site (Crenshaw-Prairie Transit 
Corridor Project Web page: https://www.metro.net/crenshaw). The public 
involvement program includes a full range of activities including the 
project webpage on the LACMTA Web site, development and distribution of 
project newsletters, and outreach to local officials, community and 
civic groups, and the public. Specific activities or events for 
involvement will be detailed in the public involvement program.
    LACMTA may seek New Starts funding for the proposed project under 
49 United States Code 5309 and will, therefore, be subject to New 
Starts regulations (49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 611). The 
New Starts regulation requires a planning Alternatives Analysis that 
leads to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative and the 
inclusion of this alternative in the long-range transportation plan 
adopted by the LACMTA and Southern California Association of 
Governments. LACMTA plans to develop the Draft EIS/EIR to satisfy the 
required planning Alternatives Analysis. The New Starts regulations 
also require the submission of certain project-justification 
information to support a request to initiate preliminary engineering. 
This information is normally developed in conjunction with the NEPA 
process. Pertinent New Starts evaluation criteria will be included in 
the EIS.
    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with NEPA and its 
implementing regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality 
(40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and with the FTA/Federal Highway 
Administration regulations ``Environmental Impact and Related 
Procedures'' (23 CFR part 771). In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) 
and 771.133, FTA will comply with all Federal environmental laws, 
regulations, and executive orders applicable to the proposed project 
during the environmental review process to the maximum extent 
practicable. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the 
environmental and public hearing provisions of Federal transit laws (49 
U.S.C. 5301(e), 5323(b), and 5324); the project-level air quality 
conformity regulation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
(40 CFR Part 93); the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR Part 
230); the regulation implementing Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800); the regulation implementing Section 
7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR Part 402); Section 4(f) of the 
Department of Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135); and Executive Orders 
12898 on environmental justice, 11988 on floodplain management, and 
11990 on wetlands.

    Issued on: September 27, 2007.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region IX.
 [FR Doc. E7-19415 Filed 10-1-07; 8:45 am]
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