[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 182 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23299]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: September 21, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration

 

Environmental Impact Statement for the Georgetown Branch 
Transitway and Trail, Montgomery County, MD

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Maryland Mass 
Transit Administration (MTA) intend to undertake an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). MTA will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the 
requirements of the Maryland Environmental Policy Act (MEPA).
    This effort will be performed in cooperation with the Montgomery 
County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Other key supporting 
agencies include the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 
(MWCOG), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), 
and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-
NCPPC).
    The EIS will evaluate transportation improvements in the corridor 
between the central business districts (CBDs) in Bethesda and Silver 
Spring, Maryland. In particular, the focus will be on the former CSX 
Railroad Georgetown Branch right-of-way (ROW) which has been purchased 
by Montgomery County. Additionally, the corridor will connect the 
Bethesda and Silver Spring Metrorail stations located in the respective 
CBDs. In addition to a proposed transitway, which may be either a 
busway or light rail transit in conjunction with a parallel hiker/biker 
trail, the EIS will evaluate the No-Build and the Transportation System 
Management (TSM) alternatives and any new alternatives generated 
through the scoping process. Scoping will be accomplished through 
correspondence with interested persons, organizations, and federal, 
state, and local agencies, and through a public meeting. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for details.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to the MTA by October 26, 
1994. See ADDRESSES below.
    Scoping Meeting: The public scoping meeting will be held on 
Wednesday, October 5, 1994, between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Armory 
Place. See ADDRESSES below. People with special needs should contact 
Lisa Colletti or Diane Melia at the MTA at the address below or by 
calling (410) 333-3376 or (410) 333-3389. A TDD number is also 
available: (410) 539-3497. The building is accessible to people with 
disabilities. It is located within two (2) blocks of the Silver Spring 
Metrorail station and is served by major Metrobus and Ride-On bus 
routes.
    The meeting will be held in an ``open-house'' format and project 
representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the 
time period given. Informational displays and written materials will 
also be available throughout the time period given. In addition to 
written comments which may be made at the meeting or as described 
below, a stenographer will be available at the meeting to record 
comments.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on project scope should be sent to Mr. 
Ernest Baisden, Project Manager, Maryland Mass Transit Administration, 
300 West Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. The Scoping meeting 
will be held at the following location: Armory Place, 925 Wayne Avenue, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John T. Garrity, Jr., 
Transportation Program Specialist, Federal Transit, Administration, 
Region III, (215) 656-6900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and the MTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
federal, state, and local agencies to participate in defining the 
alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS and identifying any significant 
social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. 
Scoping comments may be made at the public scoping meeting or in 
writing. See DATES and ADDRESSES sections above for locations and 
times. During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific 
social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated and 
suggesting alternatives which are more cost effective or have less 
environmental impact while achieving similar transit objectives.
    Scoping materials will be available at the meeting or in advance of 
the meeting by contacting Lisa Colletti or Diane Melia at the MTA as 
indicated above.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The study area and corridor is wholly within Montgomery County. It 
is approximately 4\1/2\ miles long and connects the CBDs of Bethesda 
and Silver Spring. The corridor also connects two heavily used Metro 
stations and two major employment centers.
    Existing transit service in the study area is provided by Ride-On 
and Metrobus. Existing traffic is primarily carried by East-West 
Highway (MD 410) with high traffic volumes and poor level-of-service at 
many of the signalized intersections.
    The proposed transitway is intended to provide a high quality 
connection between the two branches of the Metro Red Line; to support 
economic viability of the Bethesda and Silver Spring CBDs through 
greater transit accessibility; contribute to higher transit modal 
splits for work trips to the CBDs and employment centers; improve 
cross-county movement by public transportation to help achieve regional 
clean air goals; and improve travel time in the Bethesda-Silver Spring 
corridor including improved access to the Bethesda and Silver Spring 
Metrorail stations.

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: No-Build which 
involves no change to transportation services or facilities in the 
corridor beyond those improvements currently programmed; the TSM 
alternative which focuses on operational and low-cost capital 
improvements to transit routes and services in the corridor; the light 
rail transit (LRT) alternative which consists of providing light rail 
service along the 4.4 mile right-of-way, primarily using single-track 
with double-track passing sections, with a parallel hiker/biker trail; 
and the busway alternative which consists of providing bus service 
along the 4.4 mile right-of-way with a parallel hiker/biker trail. Five 
stations are proposed for both the light rail transit and busway 
alternatives: Bethesda, Connecticut Avenue, Lyttonsville, Spring 
Street, and Silver Spring, with future stations to be studied for 
operational feasibility.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA and MTA plan to evaluate in the EIS all significant social, 
economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. Among the 
primary issues are the expected increase in transit ridership, the 
expected increase in mobility for the corridor's transit dependent, the 
support of the region's air quality goals, the capital outlays needed 
to construct the project, the cost of operating and maintaining the 
facilities created by the project, and the financial impacts on the 
funding agencies. Environmental and social impacts proposed for 
analysis include land use and neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking 
impacts near stations, health and safety impacts, impacts on wetland 
and parkland areas, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on natural 
areas, rare and endangered species, and air and water quality, will 
also be covered. The impacts will be evaluated both for the 
construction period and for the long term period of operations. 
Measures to mitigate adverse impacts will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

    In accordance with federal transportation planning regulations (23 
CFR Part 450), the draft EIS will be prepared in conjunction with a 
major transportation investment study and document the results of that 
study, including an evaluation of the social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the alternatives. Upon completion of the MIS/
DEIS, and on the basis of the comments received, the MTA Administrator 
in concert with the Secretary of the Maryland Department of 
Transportation (MDOT) and in consultation with Montgomery County, 
MWCOG, and other affected agencies, will select a locally preferred 
alternative. Then MTA, as lead agency, will seek to continue with 
further preliminary engineering and preparation of the Final EIS.

    Issued on: September 15, 1994.
Sheldon A. Kinbar,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-23299 Filed 9-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P