Federal Transit Administration July 6, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) intend to prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for proposed transit service to eastern Contra Costa County. The project would extend service from the existing BART terminus station at Pittsburg/BayPoint, through the communities of Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, and Oakley, to a new terminus in Byron. The corridor generally follows State Route 4 through the eastern part of the county. As an extension of BART service into Eastern Contra Costa County, the project, commonly referred to as ``eBART,'' is intended to improve travel in the increasingly congested State Route 4 corridor by providing direct coordinated connections to the BART system. An earlier planning and feasibility study completed in 2002 evaluated a wide range of alternatives and recommended an innovative transit service concept, which employs light-weight, self-propelled rail cars known as Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) on right-of-way to be acquired from the Union Pacific Railroad. Service with DMUs is intended to provide a seamless connection to the existing BART service but at a much lower cost. The EIS/EIR will evaluate the DMU alternative (the Proposed Action) and will also evaluate a no build alternative, a bus rapid transit alternative, and a conventional BART extension to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch. Other alternatives may also surface during the scoping process. Based on the presentation of the Proposed Action, project alternatives, and breadth of the environmental analysis described below, please let us know of your views regarding the scope and content of the EIS/EIR. Your suggestions can be communicated at the scoping meeting or via email or letter to the contact person identified below.