Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Light Rail Transit Line in Detroit, MI, 45008-45010 [2010-18703]
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45008
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 146 / Friday, July 30, 2010 / Notices
Issued in Washington, DC on July 26, 2010.
Carla Scott,
FAA Information Collection Clearance
Officer, IT Enterprises Business Services
Division, AES–200.
[FR Doc. 2010–18758 Filed 7–29–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[Docket No. FD 35392]
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Gregory B. Cundiff, Connie Cundiff,
CGX, Inc. and Ironhorse Resources,
Inc.—Continuance in Control
Exemption—Gardendale Railroad, Inc.
Gregory B. Cundiff (Mr. Cundiff),
Connie Cundiff (Mrs. Cundiff), CGX,
Inc. (CGX), and Ironhorse Resources,
Inc. (Ironhorse) (collectively,
applicants), all noncarriers, jointly have
filed a verified notice of exemption to
continue in control of Gardendale
Railroad, Inc. (GRI), upon GRI becoming
a Class III rail carrier.
This transaction is related to a
concurrently filed verified notice of
exemption in Docket No. FD 35391,
Gardendale Railroad—Operation
Exemption–Rail Line of Border
Transload & Transfer, Inc. at
Gardendale, LaSalle County, Tex. In
that proceeding, GRI. seeks an
exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to
operate 1.86 miles of rail line owned by
Crystal City Railroad, Inc., extending
between specified points in Texas.
The applicants intend to consummate
the transaction no sooner than August
13, 2010, the effective date of the
exemption (30 days after the exemption
was filed).
GRI is owned by Ironhorse, a
noncarrier holding company. Ironhorse
is owned by CGX, a noncarrier holding
company. CGX is owned by Mr. and
Mrs. Cundiff, individuals who are
noncarriers. CGX owns the following
rail carriers: Crystal City Railroad, Inc.,
Lone Star Railroad, Inc., Rio Valley
Railroad, Inc., and Mississippi
Tennessee Holdings, LLC. Ironhorse
owns the following carriers: Railroad
Switching Service of Missouri, Texas
Railroad Switching, Inc, Rio Valley
Switching Company, Southern
Switching Company, Mississippi
Tennessee Railroad, LLC, and GRI.
Applicants certify that: (1) The rail
line to be operated by GRI does not
connect with any other railroads in their
corporate family; (2) the continuance in
control is not part of a series of
anticipated transactions that would
connect this rail line with any other
railroad in their corporate family; and
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16:29 Jul 29, 2010
Jkt 220001
(3) the transaction does not involve a
Class I rail carrier. Therefore, the
transaction is exempt from the prior
approval requirements of 49 U.S.C.
11323. See 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2).
Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the Board
may not use its exemption authority to
relieve a rail carrier of its statutory
obligation to protect the interests of its
employees. Section 11326(c), however,
does not provide for labor protection for
transactions under §§ 11324 and 11325
that involve only Class III rail carriers.
Accordingly, the Board may not impose
labor protective conditions here because
all of the carriers are Class III carriers.
If the notice contains false or
misleading information, the exemption
is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the
exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)
may be filed at any time. The filing of
a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Stay petitions must be
filed no later than August 6, 2010 (at
least 7 days before the exemption
becomes effective).
An original and 10 copies of all
pleadings, referring to Docket No. FD
35392, must be filed with the Surface
Transportation Board, 395 E Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20423–0001. In
addition, one copy of each pleading
must be served on Thomas F.
McFarland, Thomas F. McFarland, P.C.,
208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1890,
Chicago, Ill. 60604.
Board decisions and notices are
available on our Web site at
www.stb.dot.gov.
Decided: July 23, 2010.
By the Board, Joseph H. Dettmar, Acting
Director, Office of Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2010–18592 Filed 7–29–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for a Proposed Light
Rail Transit Line in Detroit, MI
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement.
AGENCY:
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), as the federal
lead agency, and the City of Detroit (the
City) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the proposed Woodward Avenue
Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Detroit, Michigan. The proposed project,
described more completely within, is an
LRT line that would begin in downtown
Detroit near the Detroit River and
extend northwest along Woodward
Avenue (M–1), terminating near EightMile Road (M–102) in Detroit, Wayne
County, Michigan. 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, and to invite public
participation in the EIS process.
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 the
Headquarters office of FTA on or before
September 13, 2010. See ADDRESSES
below for the address to which written
comments may be sent. A public
scoping meeting, at which questions
about the project will be addressed and
written comments will be accepted, will
be held on the following date:
• Saturday, August 14, 2010; 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m.; at the Considine Little Rock
Family Life Center (Auditorium), 8904
Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.
Telephone (313) 876–0131
• Saturday, August 14, 2010; 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m.; at the Considine Little Rock
Family Life Center (Auditorium), 8904
Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202.
Telephone (313) 876–0131
The building used for the scoping
meetings is accessible to persons with
disabilities. Any individual who
requires special assistance, such as a
sign language interpreter, to participate
in the scoping meeting should contact
Linnette Phillips, Public Involvement
Coordinator, at Pierce, Monroe &
Associates, LLC at (313)–961–1940 or
lphillips@pierce-monroe.com, five days
prior to the meeting.
Information describing the project
purpose and need and the alternatives
proposed for analysis will be available
at the meetings and on the project Web
site at https://www.woodwardlightrail.
com. Paper copies of the information
materials may also be obtained from Mr.
Tim Roseboom, Manager, Strategic
Planning & Scheduling Division, City of
Detroit Department of Transportation at
(313)–833–1196 or
timros@detroitmi.gov. Representatives
of Native American tribal governments
and of all federal, state, regional and
local agencies that may have an interest
in any aspect of the project will be
invited to be participating or
cooperating agencies, as appropriate.
DATES:
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 146 / Friday, July 30, 2010 / Notices
Written comments will be
accepted at the public scoping meetings
or they may be sent to: Ms. Tricia Harr,
AICP, Federal Transit Administration
Headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue,
SE., Washington, DC 20590, e-mail
tricia.harr@dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Tricia Harr, AICP, Federal Transit
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., E43–105, Washington, DC
20590, phone 202–366–0486, e-mail
tricia.harr@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
ADDRESSES:
Scoping
FTA and the City of Detroit invite all
interested individuals and
organizations, public agencies, and
Native American Tribes to comment on
the scope of the EIS for the proposed
LRT line, 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 address (1) feasible
alternatives that may better achieve the
project’s purpose and need with fewer
adverse impacts, and (2) any significant
environmental impacts relating to the
alternatives.
‘‘Scoping’’ as described in the
regulations implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (Title
40 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) 1501.7) has specific and fairly
limited objectives, one of which is to
identify the significant issues associated
with alternatives that will be examined
in detail in the document, while
simultaneously limiting consideration
and development of issues that are not
truly significant. It is in the NEPA
scoping process that potentially
significant environmental impacts—
those that give rise to the need to
prepare an environmental impact
statement—should be identified;
impacts that are deemed not to be
significant need not be developed
extensively in the context of the impact
statement, thereby keeping the
statement focused on impacts of
consequence consistent with the
ultimate objectives of the NEPA
implementing regulations—‘‘to make the
environmental impact statement process
more useful to decision makers and the
public; and to reduce paperwork and
the accumulation of extraneous
background data, in order to emphasize
the need to focus on real environmental
issues and alternatives * * * [by
requiring] impact statements to be
concise, clear, and to the point, and
supported by evidence that agencies
have made the necessary environmental
analyses’’ (Executive Order 11991, of
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16:29 Jul 29, 2010
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May 24, 1977). Transit projects may also
generate environmental benefits; these
should be highlighted as well—the
impact statement process should draw
attention to positive impacts, not just
negative impacts.
Once the scope of the environmental
study, including significant
environmental issues to be addressed, is
settled, an annotated outline of the
document will be prepared and shared
with participating agencies and posted
on the project Web site. The outline
serves at least three worthy purposes,
including (1) documenting the results of
the scoping process; (2) contributing to
the transparency of the process; and (3)
providing a clear roadmap for concise
development of the environmental
document.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the LRT project is to
improve public transit service and
provide greater mobility options for the
Woodward Avenue Corridor; improve
transportation equity among all
travelers; improve transit capacity along
the Corridor; improve linkages to major
activity centers along the Corridor; and
support the City’s economic
development goals and encourage
reinvestment in Detroit’s urban core.
The need for the project is based on
the following considerations: Strong
existing bus ridership and large
potential ridership due to major activity
centers along the Corridor; a heavily
transit-dependent population along the
Corridor; overcrowding, reliability
issues, and lack of rapid transit
alternatives with the current bus system;
air quality issues due to the region’s
nonattainment status; and focus of local
policy on transit improvements rather
than roadway improvements as part of
a more balanced and sustainable
approach to future growth.
The proposed LRT system represents
a major step to promote regional and
local rapid transit improvements in
Southeast Michigan.
Project Location and Environmental
Setting
The proposed project area lies along
Woodward Avenue in central Detroit.
The limits of the project area are the
Detroit River in the south and Eight
Mile Road (M–102) in the north. The
project area is highly developed, with
significant industrial and commercial
(retail and office) and residential
(single- and multi-family)
developments. The project area includes
the City of Highland Park within the
City of Detroit.
As the LRT extends northwest, it
would cross I–75, Warren Avenue, I–94,
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
45009
Grand Boulevard, West Chicago
Boulevard/Arden Park Boulevard, East
Davison Road (M–8), and enter
Highland Park. It would continue to
extend northwest, passing the former
Ford Motor Company Model T site on
the east, cross McNicholas Road, run
adjacent to the eastern boundary of
Palmer Park, cross Seven Mile Road, run
adjacent to the eastern boundary of
Woodlawn Cemetery, run adjacent to
the western boundary of the State Fair
grounds, and terminate near Eight Mile
Road. The extension would include 9.3
new route miles of rapid transit with
new transit stations, parking facilities,
and a vehicle storage and maintenance
facility.
Possible Alternatives
The Detroit Department of
Transportation (DDOT) completed the
Detroit Transit Options for Growth
Study (DTOGS) Alternative Analysis
(AA) in 2008, which evaluated potential
corridors, technology, and alignment
alternatives. This AA Study is posted on
the project Web site. The City selected
Woodward Avenue as the Locally
Preferred Alternative (LPA) with Light
Rail Transit as the preferred modal
option in April 2008. The LPA was
amended into the Southeast Michigan
Council of Government’s (SEMCOG’s)
long-range transportation plan,
Direction2035: The Regional
Transportation Plan for Southeast
Michigan (Direction2035), in June 2008,
and the current fiscally constrained FY
2008–2011 Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP). Accordingly, the
following alternatives are proposed to
be evaluated in the DEIS:
No Build Alternative: The No Build
Alternative is defined as the existing
transportation system, plus any
committed transportation
improvements. Committed
transportation improvements include
the highway and transit projects in
SEMCOG’s current fiscally constrained
long-range transportation plan,
Direction2035, as amended, except for
the proposed Woodward Avenue LRT.
The No Build Alternative serves as the
NEPA baseline against which the
environmental effects of other
alternatives, including the proposed
project, are measured. Under the No
Build Alternative, the transit network
within the project area is projected to be
substantially the same as it is now, with
bus service adjusted to meet anticipated
demand. All elements of the No Build
Alternative are included in each of the
other alternatives.
LRT Alternatives: The LRT
Alternatives would utilize LRT
technology and operate along the
E:\FR\FM\30JYN1.SGM
30JYN1
45010
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 146 / Friday, July 30, 2010 / Notices
Woodward Avenue alignment as
described above. LRT is an electric
railway that may use shared (street) or
exclusive rights-of-way with multi-car
trains or single cars powered electrically
by overhead wire, boarding passengers
at track level or car floor level.
Other refinements to the LRT
alternatives will be considered as part of
the Draft EIS alternatives’ evaluation
process, which includes refinement of
the proposed alignment, project termini,
operating plans, station locations, and/
or design alternatives, such as medianrunning vs. curb-running location
within the preferred alignment. While
the environmental process will examine
the entire 9.3 mile project, the first 3.4
miles of the project (from the Detroit
River to Grand Boulevard) may be
constructed and operated as an initial
phase, with the remainder being
constructed as a second phase.
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.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Possible Effects
The purpose of this EIS process is to
study, in a public setting, the potentially
significant effects of the proposed
project and its alternatives on the
quality of the human environment, as
well as the natural environment. The
AA Study and recent reviews of the
study area suggest that the impact areas
of investigation for this proposed transit
project include, but are not limited to:
Traffic and parking; historic and
cultural resources; noise and vibration;
community impacts; and business
impacts. Investigation will reveal if and
to what degree the proposed project
would affect those areas. Measures to
avoid, minimize, or mitigate any
adverse impacts will be identified and
presented.
FTA Procedures
The regulations implementing NEPA,
as well as provisions of the Safe,
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 (23 U.S.C. 139)
requires that FTA and the City 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
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16:29 Jul 29, 2010
Jkt 220001
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. 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 the project’s Web site at
https://www.woodwardlightrail.com. The
public involvement program includes a
full range of activities including
maintaining the project Web site and
outreach to local officials, community
and civic groups, and the public.
Specific activities or events for
involvement will be detailed in the
project’s public participation plan.
Paperwork Reduction
The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks,
in part, to minimize the cost to the
taxpayer of the creation, collection,
maintenance, use, dissemination, and
disposition of information. Consistent
with this goal and with principles of
economy and efficiency in government,
it is FTA policy to limit insofar as
possible distribution of complete
printed sets of environmental
documents. Accordingly, unless a
specific written request for a complete
printed set of environmental documents
is received by the close of the scoping
process by the Project Manager
identified under ADDRESSES, FTA and
its grantees will distribute only the
executive summary and a Compact Disc
(CD) of the complete environmental
document. A complete printed set of the
environmental document will be
available for review at the project
sponsor’s offices and elsewhere; an
electronic copy of the complete
environmental document will also be
available on the project Web site.
Other
The City is expecting to 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 regulations also require the
submission of certain projectjustification and local financial
commitment information to support a
request to FTA for approval into the
Preliminary Engineering phase of the
New Starts review process. Pertinent
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Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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).
Related environmental procedures to be
addressed during the NEPA process
include, but are not limited to,
Executive Order 12898 on
Environmental Justice; Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act;
and Section 4(f) of the DOT Act (49
U.S.C. 303).
Issued on: July 23, 2010.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit
Administration Region V, Chicago, Illinois.
[FR Doc. 2010–18703 Filed 7–29–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Surface Transportation Board
[Docket No. FD 35389]
LRY, LLC D.B.A. Lake Railway—Lease
and Operation Exemption—Union
Pacific Railroad Company
LRY, LLC D.B.A. Lake Railway (LRY),
a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified
notice of exemption under 49 CFR
1150.41 to lease from Union Pacific
Railroad Company (UP), and to operate
1.9 miles of UP’s Modoc Subdivision,
between milepost 506.1 and a future
interchange point with UP at milepost
508.0, near Perez, Cal.
This transaction is related to Docket
No. FD 35250, LRY, LLC D.B.A. Lake
Railway—Lease and Operation
Exemption—Union Pacific Railroad
Company, wherein LRY filed a verified
notice of exemption to lease and
operate, as pertinent, a portion of UP’s
Modoc Subdivision, extending from
milepost 445.6, near MacArthur, Cal., to
milepost 506.1, near Perez. This notice
was served and published in the
Federal Register on December 18, 2009
(74 FR 67,304–05) and became effective
on January 1, 2010. LRY explains that
the lease agreement between LRY and
UP has been modified to include the
additional 1.9 miles involved in this
proceeding in order to allow for
additional interchange headroom at
Perez.1 The portions of the Modoc
1 LRY originally filed a letter with the Board on
February 4, 2010, stating that the milepost
designation of 506.1 near Perez was incorrect. LRY
sought to substitute milepost 508.0 as the correct
E:\FR\FM\30JYN1.SGM
30JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45008-45010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18703]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a
Proposed Light Rail Transit Line in Detroit, MI
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as the federal lead
agency, and the City of Detroit (the City) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Woodward Avenue
Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Detroit, Michigan. The proposed
project, described more completely within, is an LRT line that would
begin in downtown Detroit near the Detroit River and extend northwest
along Woodward Avenue (M-1), terminating near Eight-Mile Road (M-102)
in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. 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, and to invite public participation in the EIS process.
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 the Headquarters office of FTA on or
before September 13, 2010. See ADDRESSES below for the address to which
written comments may be sent. A public scoping meeting, at which
questions about the project will be addressed and written comments will
be accepted, will be held on the following date:
Saturday, August 14, 2010; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; at the
Considine Little Rock Family Life Center (Auditorium), 8904 Woodward
Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202. Telephone (313) 876-0131
Saturday, August 14, 2010; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; at the
Considine Little Rock Family Life Center (Auditorium), 8904 Woodward
Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202. Telephone (313) 876-0131
The building used for the scoping meetings is accessible to persons
with disabilities. Any individual who requires special assistance, such
as a sign language interpreter, to participate in the scoping meeting
should contact Linnette Phillips, Public Involvement Coordinator, at
Pierce, Monroe & Associates, LLC at (313)-961-1940 or monroe.com">lphillips@pierce-monroe.com, five days prior to the meeting.
Information describing the project purpose and need and the
alternatives proposed for analysis will be available at the meetings
and on the project Web site at https://www.woodwardlightrail. com. Paper
copies of the information materials may also be obtained from Mr. Tim
Roseboom, Manager, Strategic Planning & Scheduling Division, City of
Detroit Department of Transportation at (313)-833-1196 or
timros@detroitmi.gov. Representatives of Native American tribal
governments and of all federal, state, regional and local agencies that
may have an interest in any aspect of the project will be invited to be
participating or cooperating agencies, as appropriate.
[[Page 45009]]
ADDRESSES: Written comments will be accepted at the public scoping
meetings or they may be sent to: Ms. Tricia Harr, AICP, Federal Transit
Administration Headquarters, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington,
DC 20590, e-mail tricia.harr@dot.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tricia Harr, AICP, Federal Transit
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., E43-105, Washington, DC
20590, phone 202-366-0486, e-mail tricia.harr@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scoping
FTA and the City of Detroit invite all interested individuals and
organizations, public agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment
on the scope of the EIS for the proposed LRT line, 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
address (1) feasible alternatives that may better achieve the project's
purpose and need with fewer adverse impacts, and (2) any significant
environmental impacts relating to the alternatives.
``Scoping'' as described in the regulations implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (Title 40 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) 1501.7) has specific and fairly limited
objectives, one of which is to identify the significant issues
associated with alternatives that will be examined in detail in the
document, while simultaneously limiting consideration and development
of issues that are not truly significant. It is in the NEPA scoping
process that potentially significant environmental impacts--those that
give rise to the need to prepare an environmental impact statement--
should be identified; impacts that are deemed not to be significant
need not be developed extensively in the context of the impact
statement, thereby keeping the statement focused on impacts of
consequence consistent with the ultimate objectives of the NEPA
implementing regulations--``to make the environmental impact statement
process more useful to decision makers and the public; and to reduce
paperwork and the accumulation of extraneous background data, in order
to emphasize the need to focus on real environmental issues and
alternatives * * * [by requiring] impact statements to be concise,
clear, and to the point, and supported by evidence that agencies have
made the necessary environmental analyses'' (Executive Order 11991, of
May 24, 1977). Transit projects may also generate environmental
benefits; these should be highlighted as well--the impact statement
process should draw attention to positive impacts, not just negative
impacts.
Once the scope of the environmental study, including significant
environmental issues to be addressed, is settled, an annotated outline
of the document will be prepared and shared with participating agencies
and posted on the project Web site. The outline serves at least three
worthy purposes, including (1) documenting the results of the scoping
process; (2) contributing to the transparency of the process; and (3)
providing a clear roadmap for concise development of the environmental
document.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the LRT project is to improve public transit service
and provide greater mobility options for the Woodward Avenue Corridor;
improve transportation equity among all travelers; improve transit
capacity along the Corridor; improve linkages to major activity centers
along the Corridor; and support the City's economic development goals
and encourage reinvestment in Detroit's urban core.
The need for the project is based on the following considerations:
Strong existing bus ridership and large potential ridership due to
major activity centers along the Corridor; a heavily transit-dependent
population along the Corridor; overcrowding, reliability issues, and
lack of rapid transit alternatives with the current bus system; air
quality issues due to the region's nonattainment status; and focus of
local policy on transit improvements rather than roadway improvements
as part of a more balanced and sustainable approach to future growth.
The proposed LRT system represents a major step to promote regional
and local rapid transit improvements in Southeast Michigan.
Project Location and Environmental Setting
The proposed project area lies along Woodward Avenue in central
Detroit. The limits of the project area are the Detroit River in the
south and Eight Mile Road (M-102) in the north. The project area is
highly developed, with significant industrial and commercial (retail
and office) and residential (single- and multi-family) developments.
The project area includes the City of Highland Park within the City of
Detroit.
As the LRT extends northwest, it would cross I-75, Warren Avenue,
I-94, Grand Boulevard, West Chicago Boulevard/Arden Park Boulevard,
East Davison Road (M-8), and enter Highland Park. It would continue to
extend northwest, passing the former Ford Motor Company Model T site on
the east, cross McNicholas Road, run adjacent to the eastern boundary
of Palmer Park, cross Seven Mile Road, run adjacent to the eastern
boundary of Woodlawn Cemetery, run adjacent to the western boundary of
the State Fair grounds, and terminate near Eight Mile Road. The
extension would include 9.3 new route miles of rapid transit with new
transit stations, parking facilities, and a vehicle storage and
maintenance facility.
Possible Alternatives
The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) completed the
Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study (DTOGS) Alternative Analysis
(AA) in 2008, which evaluated potential corridors, technology, and
alignment alternatives. This AA Study is posted on the project Web
site. The City selected Woodward Avenue as the Locally Preferred
Alternative (LPA) with Light Rail Transit as the preferred modal option
in April 2008. The LPA was amended into the Southeast Michigan Council
of Government's (SEMCOG's) long-range transportation plan,
Direction2035: The Regional Transportation Plan for Southeast Michigan
(Direction2035), in June 2008, and the current fiscally constrained FY
2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Accordingly, the
following alternatives are proposed to be evaluated in the DEIS:
No Build Alternative: The No Build Alternative is defined as the
existing transportation system, plus any committed transportation
improvements. Committed transportation improvements include the highway
and transit projects in SEMCOG's current fiscally constrained long-
range transportation plan, Direction2035, as amended, except for the
proposed Woodward Avenue LRT. The No Build Alternative serves as the
NEPA baseline against which the environmental effects of other
alternatives, including the proposed project, are measured. Under the
No Build Alternative, the transit network within the project area is
projected to be substantially the same as it is now, with bus service
adjusted to meet anticipated demand. All elements of the No Build
Alternative are included in each of the other alternatives.
LRT Alternatives: The LRT Alternatives would utilize LRT technology
and operate along the
[[Page 45010]]
Woodward Avenue alignment as described above. LRT is an electric
railway that may use shared (street) or exclusive rights-of-way with
multi-car trains or single cars powered electrically by overhead wire,
boarding passengers at track level or car floor level.
Other refinements to the LRT alternatives will be considered as
part of the Draft EIS alternatives' evaluation process, which includes
refinement of the proposed alignment, project termini, operating plans,
station locations, and/or design alternatives, such as median-running
vs. curb-running location within the preferred alignment. While the
environmental process will examine the entire 9.3 mile project, the
first 3.4 miles of the project (from the Detroit River to Grand
Boulevard) may be constructed and operated as an initial phase, with
the remainder being constructed as a second phase.
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.
Possible Effects
The purpose of this EIS process is to study, in a public setting,
the potentially significant effects of the proposed project and its
alternatives on the quality of the human environment, as well as the
natural environment. The AA Study and recent reviews of the study area
suggest that the impact areas of investigation for this proposed
transit project include, but are not limited to: Traffic and parking;
historic and cultural resources; noise and vibration; community
impacts; and business impacts. Investigation will reveal if and to what
degree the proposed project would affect those areas. Measures to
avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse impacts will be identified and
presented.
FTA Procedures
The regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the
Safe, 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 (23 U.S.C. 139) requires that FTA
and the City 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. 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 the project's Web site at https://www.woodwardlightrail.com. The public involvement program includes a
full range of activities including maintaining the project Web site and
outreach to local officials, community and civic groups, and the
public. Specific activities or events for involvement will be detailed
in the project's public participation plan.
Paperwork Reduction
The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to minimize the cost to
the taxpayer of the creation, collection, maintenance, use,
dissemination, and disposition of information. Consistent with this
goal and with principles of economy and efficiency in government, it is
FTA policy to limit insofar as possible distribution of complete
printed sets of environmental documents. Accordingly, unless a specific
written request for a complete printed set of environmental documents
is received by the close of the scoping process by the Project Manager
identified under ADDRESSES, FTA and its grantees will distribute only
the executive summary and a Compact Disc (CD) of the complete
environmental document. A complete printed set of the environmental
document will be available for review at the project sponsor's offices
and elsewhere; an electronic copy of the complete environmental
document will also be available on the project Web site.
Other
The City is expecting to 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 regulations also require the submission of
certain project-justification and local financial commitment
information to support a request to FTA for approval into the
Preliminary Engineering phase of the New Starts review 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). Related environmental procedures to be
addressed during the NEPA process include, but are not limited to,
Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice; Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act; and Section 4(f) of the DOT Act (49
U.S.C. 303).
Issued on: July 23, 2010.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration Region V,
Chicago, Illinois.
[FR Doc. 2010-18703 Filed 7-29-10; 8:45 am]
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