[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4468-4469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1609]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Environmental Impact Statement on Transportation Improvements in 
Pittsburgh, PA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA), in cooperation with the Port Authority of Allegheny County 
(PAT), is undertaking the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for transportation improvements in the North Side, 
Downtown, Hill/Midtown, and Oakland communities in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, referred to as the Spine Line Corridor. The draft EIS 
will be prepared in conjunction with a major investment study (MIS) 
being conducted by PAT and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional 
Planning Commission (SPRPC). The EIS is being prepared in conformance 
with: 40 CFR 1500-1508, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Requirements of the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended; and 23 CFR Part 
771, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, 
Environmental Impact and Related Procedures.
    The Spine Line Corridor Study, completed by PAT in 1993, began as 
an EIS with a Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register dated 
March 11, 1988 and formal scoping meetings held on April 6, 1988. The 
EIS was not completed because the Airport Busway project took 
precedence. PAT and FTA are now re-scoping the project as described 
below in Supplementary Information.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the 
alternatives and impacts to be considered must be postmarked no later 
than February 15, 1995 and sent to PAT, See ADDRESSES below.
    Scoping Meetings: Four (4) separate public scoping meetings will be 
held jointly by PAT and SPRPC on the following dates: Monday, January 
30, 1995, between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the William Pitt Student Union 
Ballroom in Oakland; Tuesday, January 31, 1995, between 7 p.m. and 9 
p.m. at the King Elementary School in the North Side; Wednesday, 
February 1, 1995, between 12 noon and 2 p.m. at the YWCA Assembly Room 
in Downtown Pittsburgh; and Wednesday, February 1, 1995, between 7 p.m. 
and 9 p.m. at the Hill House Auditorium/Canteen in Hill/Midtown. See 
ADDRESSES below. People with special needs should call the Spine Line 
HOTLINE at (412) 322-6000. The hearing impaired can access the hotline 
through the Operator Relay Service. Each of the buildings for the 
scoping meetings is accessible to people with disabilities.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the project scope can be made either orally at 
the scoping meetings or sent in writing to Mr. Allen D. Biehler, 
Director of Planning and Business Development, Port Authority of 
Allegheny County, 2235 Beaver Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233-
1080. The scoping meetings will be held in the following locations: 
William Pitt Student Union Ballroom, Bigelow Boulevard & Fifth Avenue, 
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; King Elementary School Gymnasium, 50 
Montgomery Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; YWCA Assembly Room, 305 
Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Hill House Auditorium/
Canteen, 1835 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See DATES above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Garrity, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region III, 1760 Market Street, Suite 500, 
Philadelphia, PA 19103, (215) 656-6900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and PAT invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
federal, state, and local agencies to attend the [[Page 4469]] scoping 
meetings to help establish the purpose, scope, framework, and approach 
for the analysis. At each meeting, a presentation will be made which 
will provide a description of the proposed scope of study using maps 
and visual aids, as well as a plan for an active citizen involvement 
program, a budgeted work schedule, and an estimated budget. The public 
is invited to comment on: The alternatives to be assessed; the modes 
and technologies to be evaluated; the alignments and termination points 
to be considered; the environmental, social, and economic impacts to be 
analyzed; and the evaluation approach to be used to select a locally 
preferred alternative.

II. Corridor Description

    Linking the North Side, Downtown, Hill/Midtown, and Oakland 
communities, the Spine Line Corridor is one of the most heavily 
traveled corridors in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan area. The corridor 
generally encompasses the area of the lower North Side across the 
Allegheny River to the Central Business District of Downtown 
Pittsburgh, and through the Hill, Midtown, and Pittsburgh Technology 
Center areas to Oakland.

III. Alternatives

    It is expected that the scoping meetings and written comments will 
be a major source of candidate alternatives for evaluation in the 
study. In addition to any new alternatives proposed for evaluation at 
the scoping meetings, other alternatives proposed for consideration 
will include those evaluated in the previous analysis which was 
completed in November 1993 as the Spine Line Corridor Study. One major 
difference is that the eastern end of the corridor under the previous 
effort was Squirrel Hill, whereas Oakland is the eastern end for this 
MIS/DEIS. The following describes the No-Build, Transportation Systems 
Management (TSM) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) Build Alternatives that 
were evaluated in the previous study and are being suggested for 
further study in the Spine Line MIS/DEIS:
    1. No-Build Alternative--Existing transit service and programmed 
new transportation facilities with level of transit service expanded as 
appropriate to meet projected year 2015 travel demand.
    2. TSM Alternative--Low-cost transportation improvements that could 
include actions such as one-way streets, exclusive bus lanes, 
intersection channelization, and enhanced levels of bus service.
    3. LRT North Side to Downtown Alternative--The northern extension 
of the LRT system would begin at the intersection of Federal Street and 
North Avenue, cross the Allegheny River on either a new bridge or the 
existing Sixth Street Bridge, and then connect with the existing subway 
at Gateway Station.
    4. LRT Downtown to Oakland via Centre Avenue Alternative--Beginning 
at a junction with the existing LRT line under the Manor Building, the 
line would head east in a tunnel under Centre Avenue, then proceed east 
through Oakland under Fifth or Forbes Avenue under Morewood Avenue.
    5. LRT Downtown to Oakland via Colwell Street Alternative--
Beginning at a junction with the existing LRT line under the Manor 
Building, the line would run along Colwell Street parallel to Fifth 
Avenue through the Hill and Midtown communities and then pass through 
Oakland under Forbes or Fifth Avenue to Morewood Avenue.
    6. LRT Downtown to Oakland via the Technology Center Alternative--
Beginning at a junction with the existing LRT line at First Avenue, 
this eastern extension would use the former B&O Railroad right-of-way 
and run east at-grade from the CBD to the Birmingham Bridge, where it 
would pass over the Parkway East before entering a tunnel in Oakland 
where it would be built under Fifth or Forbes Avenue to Morewood 
Avenue.
    In addition to the alternatives described above, new elements 
proposed for study include an Intra-North Shore Circulator and West 
Garage. To facilitate east-west movement within the North Shore area, a 
local circulator system is envisioned to have its west terminus at a 
new parking garage (or the West Garage) situated across North Shore 
Drive from the Carnegie Science Center, and extend east to Sandusky 
Street while connecting several major destinations in the Lower North 
Shore Area. The circulator could take the form of enclosed walkways, 
enclosed moving walkways, dedicated bus lanes, shuttle buses, or people 
movers such as the one used at Pittsburgh International Airport.
    The above represents the set of alternatives initially being 
considered for study. Additionally, the MIS/DEIS will consider, based 
on input received at the four public scoping meetings, variations of 
the above alternatives and other transportation investments, both 
transit and non-transit, for the Spine Line Corridor. The four public 
scoping meetings are the critical first step to chart the course of the 
MIS/DEIS and will be designed to actively encourage open discussion and 
identification of all possible study alternatives.

IV. Probable Effects

    Impacts proposed for analysis are potential changes on: The 
physical environment (air quality, noise, water quality, aesthetics, 
etc.); the social environment (land use, development patterns, 
neighborhoods, etc.); parklands and historic resources; transportation 
system performance; capital, operating, and maintenance costs; and 
financial resources for transportation projects in the Southwestern 
Pennsylvania region. Impacts will be identified for both the 
construction period and for the long term operation of the alternatives 
recommended for detailed study.
    Evaluation criteria will include transportation, social, economic, 
and financial measures to be developed by PAT and SPRPC including 
consideration of measures recommended at the scoping meetings. 
Mitigating measures will be explored for any adverse impacts that are 
identified.
    Comments on the environmental, social, and economic impacts should 
focus on the completeness of the proposed sets of alternatives and the 
evaluation approach. Other impacts or criteria judged relevant to local 
decision-making will be identified.

    Issued on: January 18, 1995.
Sheldon A. Kinbar,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-1609 Filed 1-20-95; 8:45 am]
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