Federal Transit Administration April 16, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Metro (the regional government that serves the 25 cities and three counties of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area), in cooperation with the cities of Lake Oswego and Portland, Clackamas and Multnomah counties; Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the benefits and impacts of proposed transit improvements. Three alternatives are proposed: (1) A No-Build alternative that includes everything in the Metro Regional Transportation Plan, not including the proposed project, and with a continuation of present day bus service policies in place of the project; (2) a streetcar alternative that would extend the existing Portland Streetcar system approximately 1.2 miles to a short terminus in Johns Landing, or 5.7 miles to a terminus in downtown Lake Oswego, with connecting bus service in the corridor, and (3) an enhanced bus alternative with capital improvements between downtown Portland and Lake Oswego and connecting bus service to the rest of the corridor. FTA and Metro will prepare the EIS in accordance with FTA regulations (23 CFR 771 et seq.) implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). This Notice alerts interested parties of the intent to prepare the EIS, provides information on the nature of the proposed transit project, invites participation in the EIS process (including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in this notice), and announces an upcoming public scoping meeting.