Federal Transit Administration March 8, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as the Federal lead agency, and the City of Austin (the City) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Urban Rail system in Austin, Texas. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as provisions of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The proposed project, described more completely within, is an Urban Rail System, similar to Streetcar, that would connect key activity centers within Central AustinMueller Transit-Oriented Redevelopment (Mueller), the University of Texas at Austin (UT) campus, the State Capitol Complex (Capitol), the central business district (CBD), and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) with each other and to emerging regional transportation network nodes for commuter rail, regional rail, and rapid bus in Austin, Travis County, Texas. 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.