Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for High Capacity Transit Improvements for the Indianapolis Northeast Corridor Now Known as (nka) Green Rapid Transit Line in the Indiana Counties of Marion and Hamilton, 69524-69527 [2013-27583]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Notices
Nation’s freight transportation system.
Nevertheless, while specific
commodities are likely to be moved on
a particular mode or series of modes, a
complex multi-modal system is required
to meet fully the growing volume of
bulk and high-velocity, high-value
goods in the United States.
The DOT seeks to develop a NFN to
provide connectivity between and
throughout the three elements that
comprise the NFN (highway PFN,
Remainder of the Interstate System, and
CRFC). The DOT recognizes that as a
highway-only network, the NFN is an
incomplete representation of the system
that is required to efficiently and
effectively move freight in the United
States. Consistent with the national
freight policy in MAP–21, DOT’s goal is
to designate a highway PFN that will
improve system performance, maximize
freight efficiency, and be effectively
integrated with the entire freight
transportation system, including nonhighway modes of freight transport.
The DOT seeks comments on how the
NFN fits into a larger multimodal
national freight system and how a multimodal national freight system may be
defined.
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Use of the National Freight Network in
the Future
In creating the NFN, Congress stated
that a NFN shall be established to assist
States in strategically directing
resources toward improved system
performance for efficient movement of
freight on the highway portion of the
Nation’s freight transportation system.
Congress specified that the highway
PFN shall be comprised of not more
than 27,000 miles of existing roadways
that are most critical to the movement
of freight.
The DOT is seeking comments as to
how the designation of the NFN and
highway PFN could be used by and
benefit public and freight stakeholders.
We also welcome comments regarding
potential undesirable applications of the
NFN and highway PFN. The DOT
encourages widespread input to this
proposed draft to provide a thorough
examination of the diverse issues
presented in this notice.
National Freight Network Designation
The following is the approximate
schedule for designation of the NFN:
1. Initial designation of highway
PFN—Fall 2013
2. Compilation of State-designated
CRFC routes—Late 2013—Early 2014
3. Release of the initial designation of
the full NFN (including highway PFN,
rest of the Interstate System, CRFCs)—
2014
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Authority: 23 U.S.C. 167; Section 1115 of
Pub. L. 112–141.
Issued on: November 8, 2013.
Victor M. Mendez,
FHWA Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013–27520 Filed 11–18–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of an Environmental
Impact Statement for High Capacity
Transit Improvements for the
Indianapolis Northeast Corridor Now
Known as (nka) Green Rapid Transit
Line in the Indiana Counties of Marion
and Hamilton
Federal Transit Administration,
U.S. Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Supplemental notice of intent to
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement.
AGENCY:
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA), the Central
Indiana Regional Transportation
Authority (CIRTA), the Indianapolis
Metropolitan Planning Organization
(Indianapolis MPO) and Indianapolis
Public Transportation Corporation
(IndyGo) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Northeast Corridor Project, nka
Green Rapid Transit Line (Green Line)
Project relating to proposed fixed
guideway transit improvements in the
Indiana counties of Marion and
Hamilton. The study area is an
approximately 23-mile long travel
corridor extending from downtown
Indianapolis to downtown Noblesville
and includes the community of Fishers.
Options to be considered include NoBuild, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and
Diesel Light Rail Transit (LRT). The EIS
process provides opportunities for the
public to comment on the scope of the
EIS, including the project’s purpose and
need, the alternatives to be considered,
and the impacts to be evaluated. The
southern terminus of all alternatives
would be adjacent to the transit center
in downtown Indianapolis.
An original Notice of Intent for the
proposed Green Line transit
improvement was published on March
9, 2010 and was followed by initial
project scoping, public involvement and
agency coordination. Project activities
were suspended following the initial
scoping activities to address funding
issues and conduct additional planning
related to development of the regional
transit vision plan (referred to as ‘‘Indy
Connect’’). As funding issues are being
SUMMARY:
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addressed and the regional transit plan
has been completed, scoping activities
for the Green Line have resumed.
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 comments on the scope of the
EIS as proposed in this notice, to
announce that a public scoping meeting
will be conducted, and to identify
participating agency contacts. This
input will be used to assist decision
makers in determining a locally
preferred alternative (LPA) and
preparing a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Green Line.
Upon selection of an LPA, the project
sponsors will request permission from
FTA to enter into Project Development
per requirements of 49 USC 5309. The
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD)
will be issued after the project has
entered Project Development.
Dates, Times, and Locations:
Comment Due Date: Written comments
on the purpose and need for the
proposed improvements, and the scope
of alternatives and impacts to be
considered should be sent to the
Indianapolis MPO by December 19,
2013.
A public scoping meeting to accept
comments on the scope of the study will
be held on December 5, 2013 from 6:00
p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the Julia Carson
Government Center located at 300 East
Fall Creek Parkway North Drive,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46205. The public
scoping meeting will be informal and in
an open house format. Interested
persons may ask questions about the
proposal and the FTA’s environmental
review process. The project’s purpose
and need and the initial set of
alternatives proposed for study will be
presented at the meetings. CIRTA, the
Indianapolis MPO, IndyGo and project
team members will be available to
answer questions and receive
comments. A writing station will be
available to those who wish to submit
written comments at the public scoping
meeting. Project team members will be
available to listen and make notes of
residents’ comments.
The public scoping meeting location
complies with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Persons needing special
accommodations should contact Jeremy
Moore, Project Manager, at (317) 327–
5495 or Jeremy.Moore@indy.gov at least
48 hours prior to the meeting.
An interagency scoping meeting for
federal, state, regional and local
resource and regulatory agencies will be
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Notices
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held on December 5, 2013 from 2:30
p.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the HNTB
Corporation offices located at 111
Monument Circle, Suite 1200,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The
meeting will also be available via
webcast. All appropriate agencies that
may have an interest in this project, or
have a potential interest in becoming a
participating agency, will be notified of
the meeting through separate direct
correspondence.
Submitting Comments on the Scope of
the Study: Scoping materials will be
available at the meetings and through
the project’s Web site at https://
www.indyconnect.org. FTA, CIRTA, the
Indianapolis MPO and IndyGo
encourage broad participation in the EIS
process. All interested agencies,
organizations, communities, and
members of the public are invited to
participate in the scoping process by
reviewing and commenting on the scope
of the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the
scope of the EIS may be submitted to the
attention of Jeremy Moore, Project
Manager, Indianapolis Metropolitan
Planning Organization, City County
Building, Suite 1922, 200 E. Washington
Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204,
Phone: (317) 327–5495, Fax: (317) 327–
5950, Email: Jeremy.Moore@indy.gov.
Additional Information: Contact
Reginald Arkell, Federal Transit
Administration, Region 5, 200 W.
Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago,
Illinois 60606, Phone: 312–886–3704,
Email: reginald.arkell@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
The purpose of the scoping process is
to provide an opportunity for the public
and agencies to comment on and
provide early input to the Green Line
DEIS process. On March 9, 2010, FTA
published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the
Federal Register to initiate the Green
Line Environmental Impact Statement
process. As part of that effort, a Scoping
Document was mailed to potential
participating agencies in March 2010
and a resource agency scoping meeting
was held in April 2010. The original
public scoping meetings for the project
DEIS were held on March 17, 2010 at
the Julia Carson Government Center in
Indianapolis, and on March 24, 2010 at
the Hamilton County Government
Center in Noblesville. Comments were
received from various agencies and
incorporated into an Environmental
Scoping Report which was submitted to
participating agencies in November
2010.
Project activities were suspended
following the initial scoping activities in
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2010 for two reasons. First, the DEIS
cannot be approved unless the project is
included in the fiscally constrained
Long Range Transportation Plan. The
fiscal constraint requirement cannot be
met unless there is a reasonable
expectation of an additional transit
funding source. The City of Indianapolis
and other local governments began
advocating for legislation to allow the
establishment of a dedicated local
transit funding source in 2010. The
Indiana House of Representatives
passed the necessary enabling
legislation for a local transit referendum
in 2013. Transit funding proposals are
still under review by the Indiana Senate.
Given the significant progress since
2010, it is reasonable to resume the
Green Line DEIS development activities.
The second significant reason to
temporarily suspend activities was the
development of the regional transit
vision plan (Indy Connect). During the
period 2010 to 2013, a sophisticated
financial model was developed to
support regional plan development, a
balanced regional transit plan was
defined based on realistic funding
expectations, and an unprecedented
public involvement program was
defined and executed to promote public
understanding of the plan. The context
and timing of the Green Line Project
have become better defined, and
alternatives have been refined to better
meet the needs of the corridor and the
overall system.
Due to the time that has lapsed, and
recognizing the changed context and
alternatives definition, the project team
is re-initiating project scoping with
resource agencies, including those that
declined to participate in 2010. Each
agency and the public are again being
invited to participate in the project
development process for the Green Line
Project. This will provide the
opportunity for meaningful
participation as analyses are being
updated to reflect changed conditions.
The FTA, the Indianapolis MPO and
CIRTA invite all interested individuals,
organizations, businesses, and federal,
state, and local agencies to participate in
establishing the purpose and need,
project alternatives, and methodologies
of the environmental analysis approach
for the EIS, as well as participate in an
active public involvement program.
During the scoping process, the public
is invited to comment on (a) the purpose
and need; (b) the alternatives to be
addressed; (c) the transit technologies to
be evaluated; (d) the alignments and
station locations to be considered; (e)
the environmental, social, and economic
impacts to be analyzed; and (f) the
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evaluation approach to be used to select
the LPA.
NEPA ‘‘scoping’’ (40 CFR 1501.7) is
intended to identify the significant
issues associated with alternatives that
will be examined in detail and to limit
consideration of issues that are not truly
significant. It is in the NEPA scoping
process that potentially significant
environmental impacts should be
identified. Environmental benefits will
also be highlighted.
Once the scope of the environmental
study is defined, an annotated outline of
the draft EIS will be prepared and
shared with interested agencies and the
public. The outline will serve to: (1)
Document the results of the scoping
process; (2) contribute to the
transparency of the process; and (3)
provide a clear roadmap for concise
development of the environmental
document.
Public outreach activities will
continue with interested residents,
stakeholders and groups throughout the
EIS process. The Web site, https://
www.indyconnect.org, will be updated
periodically to reflect the status of the
project. Additional opportunities for
public participation will be announced
through mailings, notices, social media,
and press releases.
II. Description of Study Area and
Project Need
The Green Line Project Study Area
includes the main travel corridors
between downtown Indianapolis and
the rapidly growing areas of Hamilton
County, Indiana, including the
communities of Fishers and Noblesville,
as well as the intervening high-density
residential and commercial areas of
northeastern and central Marion
County. This is referred to as the
northeast corridor.
As currently identified, the purpose of
the Green Line Project is to improve
mobility within the northeast corridor of
Central Indiana through the
development of improved transit
options. Consistent with the purpose of
the project, the EIS will address the
need to: improve mobility, accessibility
and travel options within the northeast
corridor; support sustainable, long-term
economic growth and livability; and
support local transportation plans and
policies.
III. Alternatives
The proposed alternatives to be
evaluated in the EIS will include the
following:
• No-Build Alternative: The No-Build
Alternative is defined as the existing
transportation system and any
committed transportation
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Notices
improvements. Committed
transportation improvements include
projects in the Indianapolis
Transportation Improvement Program
(TIP), which includes added travel lanes
and interchange improvements on I–69
and I–465. The No-Build alternative
includes no changes to IndyGo bus
service or other transit services.
Consideration of the No-Build
Alternative is required as part of the
NEPA evaluation process.
• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Alternatives: A two-lane dedicated
busway with on-line stations and other
related capital improvements would be
constructed in the Hoosier Heritage Port
Authority (HHPA) Railroad right of way
between Noblesville and 10th Street in
Indianapolis. Between 10th Street and
the downtown transit center, BRT
vehicles would operate on-street in
mixed traffic or dedicated lanes via one
of three basic alternative routes. The onstreet routes utilize Fort Wayne or
Massachusetts Avenue, and
Pennsylvania and/or Delaware Street.
Variations to these basic alignments
would be considered near the
downtown transit center for BRT
vehicles operating in mixed traffic. All
BRT alternatives would include
enhanced stations with sheltered
waiting areas, real-time next bus arrival
information and traffic signal
preemption technology. The vehicle
would be a low-floor diesel-electric
hybrid bus with enhanced on-board
passenger amenities.
• Diesel Light Rail Transit (LRT)
Alternative: The existing track structure
of the HHPA rail line would be
completely reconstructed between
Noblesville and 10th Street in
Indianapolis, and new track would be
constructed in-street between 10th
Street and the downtown transit center.
At most locations, the rail guideway in
downtown Indianapolis would be in a
lane dedicated for transit use. As with
BRT, the LRT vehicles would utilize
Fort Wayne or Massachusetts Avenue,
and Pennsylvania and/or Delaware
Street to access the downtown transit
center. LRT alternatives would include
enhanced stations with sheltered
waiting areas, real-time arrival
information, low-floor vehicles with
enhanced on-board passenger amenities,
and fully gated quiet crossings at road
crossings outside downtown
Indianapolis. Service would be
provided by diesel powered light rail
vehicles also known as diesel multiple
units or DMUs.
• Downtown Indianapolis Options:
Two of the downtown alternative
alignments utilize Fort Wayne Avenue
after leaving the HHPA Corridor and
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turning to the west onto 10th Street. The
first alternative follows Fort Wayne
Avenue to Pennsylvania Street, where
two-way transit traffic is maintained to
Washington Street. At Washington
Street, the line turns onto Virginia
Avenue and ends just west of the
downtown transit center. The second
Fort Wayne alternative is the same until
it reaches Delaware Street, where it
splits and uses Pennsylvania and
Delaware Streets for one-way operation
to and from the downtown transit
center.
A third downtown alternative
alignment is on Massachusetts Avenue
south of 10th Street. In this option, the
downtown transit center is accessed by
means of two-way transit operations on
Delaware Street.
After leaving the HHPA Corridor on
10th Street, the LRT would use College
Avenue to access Massachusetts
Avenue. LRT would operate in
dedicated lanes over the full length of
the route. Center lanes on Massachusetts
Avenue would require existing 90degree parking to be converted to
parallel parking. Curb lanes would be
used on each side of Delaware Street.
LRT would require a section of ‘‘tail
track’’ south of the downtown transit
center to reverse direction.
If LRT is implemented on the Fort
Wayne alignments, it is assumed that
exclusive lanes would be provided
throughout the route with the exception
of a short segment of 10th Street where
the street is narrow and eastbound
traffic volumes are low. The transit
lanes would be provided within existing
curb lines and stations would be mostly
in existing right of way. Implementing
LRT would result in loss of travel and/
or parking lanes throughout the
downtown Indianapolis route.
BRT options could operate in the
same exclusive transit lanes that would
be used by LRT, with similar impacts to
parking and travel lanes, or BRT could
operate in general purpose lanes with
mixed traffic, taking advantage of the
effective traffic signal coordination of
the Pennsylvania/Delaware one-way
pair. The path for mixed traffic
operations could vary in the vicinity of
the downtown transit center using
Washington Street and Virginia Avenue
to turn around. Additionally, mixed
traffic BRT could access to
Massachusetts Avenue via Carrolton
Avenue. This option does not exist for
LRT vehicles since they are unable to
make the 90-degree turns necessary to
use cross streets to access Pennsylvania
Street.
Based on public and agency input
received during scoping, variations of
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the above alternatives would be
considered for the Green Line Project.
IV. Potential Impacts for Analysis
The scoping process will identify the
environmental impact areas most
relevant to the project that merit further
exploration in the EIS. The potential
impact areas include: land use, zoning,
potential displacements, parkland,
economic development, community
disruptions, environmental justice,
aesthetics, air quality, noise and
vibration, wildlife, vegetation,
threatened and endangered species,
farmland, water quality, wetlands,
waterways, floodplains, hazardous
materials, and cultural, historic and
archaeological resources.
The EIS will take into account both
positive and negative impacts, direct
and indirect impacts, short-term and
long-term impacts, and site specific and
corridor wide impacts. Evaluation
criteria will be consistent with all
Federal, state, and local criteria,
regulations and policies. The EIS will
identify measures to avoid or mitigate
significant adverse environmental
impacts.
To ensure that all significant issues
related to this proposed action are
identified and addressed, scoping
comments and suggestions are invited
from all interested parties.
The public involvement program will
include a full range of involvement
activities. Activities will include
outreach to local and regional officials
and community and civic groups; a
public scoping process to define the
issues of concern among all parties
interested in the project; organizing
periodic meetings with various local
agencies, organizations and committees;
a public hearing on release of the DEIS;
and development and distribution of
project information via newsletters, Web
site, and social media. Specific
mechanisms for involvement will be
detailed in the public involvement
program.
V. Evaluation Criteria
The Indianapolis MPO may seek New
Starts funding for the proposed Green
Line Project under 49 U.S.C. 5309 and
will therefore be subject to New Starts
regulations (49 CFR Part 611). MAP–21
(49 USC 5309(d)) requires that projects
proposed for New Starts funding be
evaluated based on project justification
and local financial commitment criteria.
Project justification comprises 50
percent of the overall rating and
considers mobility improvements,
environmental benefits, congestion
relief, cost-effectiveness, economic
development effects, and existing land
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Notices
use. The other 50 percent of the FTA
New Starts rating reflects local financial
commitment, which encompasses the
proposed share of the project capital
cost that would be funded through nonNew Starts sources, the current financial
condition of the transit system, the
commitment of funds for the project and
transit system, and the reasonableness
of the project financial plan.
With respect to the FTA project
development process, one of the more
important changes brought about by
MAP–21 was the elimination of the
requirement for a standalone
Alternatives Analysis that would
culminate in the selection of a locally
preferred alternative. The FTA will
instead rely on the NEPA process for
alternatives evaluation. The change will
reduce redundancy in the New Starts
project development process and
streamline the review and selection of a
locally preferred alternative.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013–27583 Filed 11–18–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Form 5307
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Treasury, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is
soliciting comments concerning Form
5307, Application for Determination for
Adopters of Master or Prototype or
Volume Submitter Plans.
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before January 21, 2014
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Yvette Lawrence, Internal Revenue
Service, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for copies of the form and
instructions should be directed to Sara
Covington, at Internal Revenue Service,
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SUMMARY:
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17:21 Nov 18, 2013
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room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20224, or through
the internet at Sara.L.Covington@irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Application for Determination
for Adopters of Master or Prototype or
Volume Submitter Plans.
OMB Number: 1545–0200.
Form Number: 5307.
Abstract: Employers whose pension
plans meet the requirements of Internal
Revenue Code section 401(a) are
permitted a deduction for their
contributions to these plans. To have a
plan qualified under Code section
401(a), the employer must submit an
application to the IRS as required by
regulation § 1.401–1(b)(2). Form 5307 is
used as an application for this purpose
by adopters of master or prototype or
volume submitter plans.
Current Actions: There are no changes
being made to the form at this time.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
100,000.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 51
hours, 23 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 5,139,000.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice:
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a collection
of information must be retained as long
as their contents may become material
in the administration of any internal
revenue law. Generally, tax returns and
tax return information are confidential,
as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.
Request for Comments: Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval. All
comments will become a matter of
public record. Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
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69527
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
Approved: November 1, 2013.
Allan Hopkins,
IRS Tax Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2013–27686 Filed 11–18–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4830–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Information Collection;
Comment Request
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Treasury, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)).
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before January 21, 2014
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Yvette B. Lawrence, Internal Revenue
Service, Room 6129, 1111 Constitution
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.
Please send separate comments for
each specific information collection
listed below. You must reference the
information collection’s title, form
number, reporting or record-keeping
requirement number, and OMB number
(if any) in your comment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To obtain
additional information, or copies of the
information collection and instructions,
or copies of any comments received,
contact Elaine Christophe, at (202) 622–
3179, or at Internal Revenue Service,
Room 6129, 1111 Constitution Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20224, or through
the internet, at Elaine.H.Christophe@
irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Request for Comments
The Department of the Treasury and
the Internal Revenue Service, as part of
their continuing effort to reduce
paperwork and respondent burden,
invite the general public and other
Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on the
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69524-69527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-27583]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for High
Capacity Transit Improvements for the Indianapolis Northeast Corridor
Now Known as (nka) Green Rapid Transit Line in the Indiana Counties of
Marion and Hamilton
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Supplemental notice of intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Central Indiana
Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA), the Indianapolis
Metropolitan Planning Organization (Indianapolis MPO) and Indianapolis
Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northeast Corridor
Project, nka Green Rapid Transit Line (Green Line) Project relating to
proposed fixed guideway transit improvements in the Indiana counties of
Marion and Hamilton. The study area is an approximately 23-mile long
travel corridor extending from downtown Indianapolis to downtown
Noblesville and includes the community of Fishers. Options to be
considered include No-Build, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Diesel Light
Rail Transit (LRT). The EIS process provides opportunities for the
public to comment on the scope of the EIS, including the project's
purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, and the impacts to
be evaluated. The southern terminus of all alternatives would be
adjacent to the transit center in downtown Indianapolis.
An original Notice of Intent for the proposed Green Line transit
improvement was published on March 9, 2010 and was followed by initial
project scoping, public involvement and agency coordination. Project
activities were suspended following the initial scoping activities to
address funding issues and conduct additional planning related to
development of the regional transit vision plan (referred to as ``Indy
Connect''). As funding issues are being addressed and the regional
transit plan has been completed, scoping activities for the Green Line
have resumed.
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 comments on the scope of
the EIS as proposed in this notice, to announce that a public scoping
meeting will be conducted, and to identify participating agency
contacts. This input will be used to assist decision makers in
determining a locally preferred alternative (LPA) and preparing a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Green Line. Upon
selection of an LPA, the project sponsors will request permission from
FTA to enter into Project Development per requirements of 49 USC 5309.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision
(ROD) will be issued after the project has entered Project Development.
Dates, Times, and Locations: Comment Due Date: Written comments on
the purpose and need for the proposed improvements, and the scope of
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to the
Indianapolis MPO by December 19, 2013.
A public scoping meeting to accept comments on the scope of the
study will be held on December 5, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
in the Julia Carson Government Center located at 300 East Fall Creek
Parkway North Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana 46205. The public scoping
meeting will be informal and in an open house format. Interested
persons may ask questions about the proposal and the FTA's
environmental review process. The project's purpose and need and the
initial set of alternatives proposed for study will be presented at the
meetings. CIRTA, the Indianapolis MPO, IndyGo and project team members
will be available to answer questions and receive comments. A writing
station will be available to those who wish to submit written comments
at the public scoping meeting. Project team members will be available
to listen and make notes of residents' comments.
The public scoping meeting location complies with the Americans
with Disabilities Act. Persons needing special accommodations should
contact Jeremy Moore, Project Manager, at (317) 327-5495 or
Jeremy.Moore@indy.gov at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
An interagency scoping meeting for federal, state, regional and
local resource and regulatory agencies will be
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held on December 5, 2013 from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the HNTB
Corporation offices located at 111 Monument Circle, Suite 1200,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204. The meeting will also be available via
webcast. All appropriate agencies that may have an interest in this
project, or have a potential interest in becoming a participating
agency, will be notified of the meeting through separate direct
correspondence.
Submitting Comments on the Scope of the Study: Scoping materials
will be available at the meetings and through the project's Web site at
https://www.indyconnect.org. FTA, CIRTA, the Indianapolis MPO and IndyGo
encourage broad participation in the EIS process. All interested
agencies, organizations, communities, and members of the public are
invited to participate in the scoping process by reviewing and
commenting on the scope of the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be submitted to
the attention of Jeremy Moore, Project Manager, Indianapolis
Metropolitan Planning Organization, City County Building, Suite 1922,
200 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, Phone: (317)
327-5495, Fax: (317) 327-5950, Email: Jeremy.Moore@indy.gov.
Additional Information: Contact Reginald Arkell, Federal Transit
Administration, Region 5, 200 W. Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago,
Illinois 60606, Phone: 312-886-3704, Email: reginald.arkell@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
The purpose of the scoping process is to provide an opportunity for
the public and agencies to comment on and provide early input to the
Green Line DEIS process. On March 9, 2010, FTA published a Notice of
Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to initiate the Green Line
Environmental Impact Statement process. As part of that effort, a
Scoping Document was mailed to potential participating agencies in
March 2010 and a resource agency scoping meeting was held in April
2010. The original public scoping meetings for the project DEIS were
held on March 17, 2010 at the Julia Carson Government Center in
Indianapolis, and on March 24, 2010 at the Hamilton County Government
Center in Noblesville. Comments were received from various agencies and
incorporated into an Environmental Scoping Report which was submitted
to participating agencies in November 2010.
Project activities were suspended following the initial scoping
activities in 2010 for two reasons. First, the DEIS cannot be approved
unless the project is included in the fiscally constrained Long Range
Transportation Plan. The fiscal constraint requirement cannot be met
unless there is a reasonable expectation of an additional transit
funding source. The City of Indianapolis and other local governments
began advocating for legislation to allow the establishment of a
dedicated local transit funding source in 2010. The Indiana House of
Representatives passed the necessary enabling legislation for a local
transit referendum in 2013. Transit funding proposals are still under
review by the Indiana Senate. Given the significant progress since
2010, it is reasonable to resume the Green Line DEIS development
activities.
The second significant reason to temporarily suspend activities was
the development of the regional transit vision plan (Indy Connect).
During the period 2010 to 2013, a sophisticated financial model was
developed to support regional plan development, a balanced regional
transit plan was defined based on realistic funding expectations, and
an unprecedented public involvement program was defined and executed to
promote public understanding of the plan. The context and timing of the
Green Line Project have become better defined, and alternatives have
been refined to better meet the needs of the corridor and the overall
system.
Due to the time that has lapsed, and recognizing the changed
context and alternatives definition, the project team is re-initiating
project scoping with resource agencies, including those that declined
to participate in 2010. Each agency and the public are again being
invited to participate in the project development process for the Green
Line Project. This will provide the opportunity for meaningful
participation as analyses are being updated to reflect changed
conditions.
The FTA, the Indianapolis MPO and CIRTA invite all interested
individuals, organizations, businesses, and federal, state, and local
agencies to participate in establishing the purpose and need, project
alternatives, and methodologies of the environmental analysis approach
for the EIS, as well as participate in an active public involvement
program. During the scoping process, the public is invited to comment
on (a) the purpose and need; (b) the alternatives to be addressed; (c)
the transit technologies to be evaluated; (d) the alignments and
station locations to be considered; (e) the environmental, social, and
economic impacts to be analyzed; and (f) the evaluation approach to be
used to select the LPA.
NEPA ``scoping'' (40 CFR 1501.7) is intended to identify the
significant issues associated with alternatives that will be examined
in detail and to limit consideration of issues that are not truly
significant. It is in the NEPA scoping process that potentially
significant environmental impacts should be identified. Environmental
benefits will also be highlighted.
Once the scope of the environmental study is defined, an annotated
outline of the draft EIS will be prepared and shared with interested
agencies and the public. The outline will serve to: (1) Document the
results of the scoping process; (2) contribute to the transparency of
the process; and (3) provide a clear roadmap for concise development of
the environmental document.
Public outreach activities will continue with interested residents,
stakeholders and groups throughout the EIS process. The Web site,
https://www.indyconnect.org, will be updated periodically to reflect the
status of the project. Additional opportunities for public
participation will be announced through mailings, notices, social
media, and press releases.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The Green Line Project Study Area includes the main travel
corridors between downtown Indianapolis and the rapidly growing areas
of Hamilton County, Indiana, including the communities of Fishers and
Noblesville, as well as the intervening high-density residential and
commercial areas of northeastern and central Marion County. This is
referred to as the northeast corridor.
As currently identified, the purpose of the Green Line Project is
to improve mobility within the northeast corridor of Central Indiana
through the development of improved transit options. Consistent with
the purpose of the project, the EIS will address the need to: improve
mobility, accessibility and travel options within the northeast
corridor; support sustainable, long-term economic growth and
livability; and support local transportation plans and policies.
III. Alternatives
The proposed alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS will include
the following:
No-Build Alternative: The No-Build Alternative is defined
as the existing transportation system and any committed transportation
[[Page 69526]]
improvements. Committed transportation improvements include projects in
the Indianapolis Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which
includes added travel lanes and interchange improvements on I-69 and I-
465. The No-Build alternative includes no changes to IndyGo bus service
or other transit services. Consideration of the No-Build Alternative is
required as part of the NEPA evaluation process.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Alternatives: A two-lane dedicated
busway with on-line stations and other related capital improvements
would be constructed in the Hoosier Heritage Port Authority (HHPA)
Railroad right of way between Noblesville and 10th Street in
Indianapolis. Between 10th Street and the downtown transit center, BRT
vehicles would operate on-street in mixed traffic or dedicated lanes
via one of three basic alternative routes. The on-street routes utilize
Fort Wayne or Massachusetts Avenue, and Pennsylvania and/or Delaware
Street. Variations to these basic alignments would be considered near
the downtown transit center for BRT vehicles operating in mixed
traffic. All BRT alternatives would include enhanced stations with
sheltered waiting areas, real-time next bus arrival information and
traffic signal preemption technology. The vehicle would be a low-floor
diesel-electric hybrid bus with enhanced on-board passenger amenities.
Diesel Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alternative: The existing
track structure of the HHPA rail line would be completely reconstructed
between Noblesville and 10th Street in Indianapolis, and new track
would be constructed in-street between 10th Street and the downtown
transit center. At most locations, the rail guideway in downtown
Indianapolis would be in a lane dedicated for transit use. As with BRT,
the LRT vehicles would utilize Fort Wayne or Massachusetts Avenue, and
Pennsylvania and/or Delaware Street to access the downtown transit
center. LRT alternatives would include enhanced stations with sheltered
waiting areas, real-time arrival information, low-floor vehicles with
enhanced on-board passenger amenities, and fully gated quiet crossings
at road crossings outside downtown Indianapolis. Service would be
provided by diesel powered light rail vehicles also known as diesel
multiple units or DMUs.
Downtown Indianapolis Options: Two of the downtown
alternative alignments utilize Fort Wayne Avenue after leaving the HHPA
Corridor and turning to the west onto 10th Street. The first
alternative follows Fort Wayne Avenue to Pennsylvania Street, where
two-way transit traffic is maintained to Washington Street. At
Washington Street, the line turns onto Virginia Avenue and ends just
west of the downtown transit center. The second Fort Wayne alternative
is the same until it reaches Delaware Street, where it splits and uses
Pennsylvania and Delaware Streets for one-way operation to and from the
downtown transit center.
A third downtown alternative alignment is on Massachusetts Avenue
south of 10th Street. In this option, the downtown transit center is
accessed by means of two-way transit operations on Delaware Street.
After leaving the HHPA Corridor on 10th Street, the LRT would use
College Avenue to access Massachusetts Avenue. LRT would operate in
dedicated lanes over the full length of the route. Center lanes on
Massachusetts Avenue would require existing 90-degree parking to be
converted to parallel parking. Curb lanes would be used on each side of
Delaware Street. LRT would require a section of ``tail track'' south of
the downtown transit center to reverse direction.
If LRT is implemented on the Fort Wayne alignments, it is assumed
that exclusive lanes would be provided throughout the route with the
exception of a short segment of 10th Street where the street is narrow
and eastbound traffic volumes are low. The transit lanes would be
provided within existing curb lines and stations would be mostly in
existing right of way. Implementing LRT would result in loss of travel
and/or parking lanes throughout the downtown Indianapolis route.
BRT options could operate in the same exclusive transit lanes that
would be used by LRT, with similar impacts to parking and travel lanes,
or BRT could operate in general purpose lanes with mixed traffic,
taking advantage of the effective traffic signal coordination of the
Pennsylvania/Delaware one-way pair. The path for mixed traffic
operations could vary in the vicinity of the downtown transit center
using Washington Street and Virginia Avenue to turn around.
Additionally, mixed traffic BRT could access to Massachusetts Avenue
via Carrolton Avenue. This option does not exist for LRT vehicles since
they are unable to make the 90-degree turns necessary to use cross
streets to access Pennsylvania Street.
Based on public and agency input received during scoping,
variations of the above alternatives would be considered for the Green
Line Project.
IV. Potential Impacts for Analysis
The scoping process will identify the environmental impact areas
most relevant to the project that merit further exploration in the EIS.
The potential impact areas include: land use, zoning, potential
displacements, parkland, economic development, community disruptions,
environmental justice, aesthetics, air quality, noise and vibration,
wildlife, vegetation, threatened and endangered species, farmland,
water quality, wetlands, waterways, floodplains, hazardous materials,
and cultural, historic and archaeological resources.
The EIS will take into account both positive and negative impacts,
direct and indirect impacts, short-term and long-term impacts, and site
specific and corridor wide impacts. Evaluation criteria will be
consistent with all Federal, state, and local criteria, regulations and
policies. The EIS will identify measures to avoid or mitigate
significant adverse environmental impacts.
To ensure that all significant issues related to this proposed
action are identified and addressed, scoping comments and suggestions
are invited from all interested parties.
The public involvement program will include a full range of
involvement activities. Activities will include outreach to local and
regional officials and community and civic groups; a public scoping
process to define the issues of concern among all parties interested in
the project; organizing periodic meetings with various local agencies,
organizations and committees; a public hearing on release of the DEIS;
and development and distribution of project information via
newsletters, Web site, and social media. Specific mechanisms for
involvement will be detailed in the public involvement program.
V. Evaluation Criteria
The Indianapolis MPO may seek New Starts funding for the proposed
Green Line Project under 49 U.S.C. 5309 and will therefore be subject
to New Starts regulations (49 CFR Part 611). MAP-21 (49 USC 5309(d))
requires that projects proposed for New Starts funding be evaluated
based on project justification and local financial commitment criteria.
Project justification comprises 50 percent of the overall rating and
considers mobility improvements, environmental benefits, congestion
relief, cost-effectiveness, economic development effects, and existing
land
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use. The other 50 percent of the FTA New Starts rating reflects local
financial commitment, which encompasses the proposed share of the
project capital cost that would be funded through non-New Starts
sources, the current financial condition of the transit system, the
commitment of funds for the project and transit system, and the
reasonableness of the project financial plan.
With respect to the FTA project development process, one of the
more important changes brought about by MAP-21 was the elimination of
the requirement for a standalone Alternatives Analysis that would
culminate in the selection of a locally preferred alternative. The FTA
will instead rely on the NEPA process for alternatives evaluation. The
change will reduce redundancy in the New Starts project development
process and streamline the review and selection of a locally preferred
alternative.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-27583 Filed 11-18-13; 8:45 am]
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