[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54566-54568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26360]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Los Angeles County, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority intend to prepare an Environment 
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) for transportation improvements in Los Angeles 
County, California. In addition, the FTA intends to prepare, in 
addition to the EIS, a Major Investment Study (MIS) for the project. 
Further, the MTA will be jointly issuing a Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Report (SEIR), pursuant to the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA). The purposes of the project are to improve east-west travel 
options in the San Fernando Valley and to provide a connection to other 
portions of a regional rail network that is being developed by the MTA.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to the address below by 
November 20, 1995. Scoping Meetings: Two scoping workshops will be held 
on November 7, 1995 at Reseda Senior Service and Resource Center from 
6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m; and on November 14, 1995 at the Sherman Oaks 
Woman's Club from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. See addresses below. The 
public is invited to arrive at any time. There will be no formal 
presentations; both workshops will be held in an open house format.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to 
David Mieger, Project Manager, Los Angeles County Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority, 818 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, California, 
90017. The scoping workshops will be held at the following locations: 
Reseda Senior Service and Resource Center, 18255 Victory Boulevard, 
Reseda, California, and Sherman Oaks Woman's Club, 4808 Kester Avenue, 
Sherman Oaks, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hymie Luden, City & Regional Planner, 
Federal Transit Administration, Telephone (415) 744-3115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FTA, in cooperation with the MTA, will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed public 
transit project in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County, 
California, to be implemented in an east-west corridor extending from 
an under-construction Metro Rail station located in North Hollywood 
westward to Valley Circle Boulevard, a distance of approximately 17 
miles. The purposes of the project are to improve east-west travel 
options in the San Fernando Valley and to provide a connection to other 
portions of a regional rail network that is being developed by the MTA.
    FTA and MTA invite interested individuals, organizations and 
federal, state and local agencies to participate in defining the 
alternatives and environmental factors to be evaluated in the MIS/DEIS/
DSEIR. Scoping comments regarding these matters may be made at the 
workshops on the dates and at the locations indicated above, and they 
may also be made in writing if mailed to the address indicated above. 
During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific social, 
economic or environmental concerns to be evaluated and suggesting 
alternatives which should be considered during the MIS process. Scoping 
is not the appropriate time to indicate a preference for a particular 
alternative. Comments of this nature should be communicated after the 
MIS/DEIS/DSEIR has been completed.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate Federal, State and local agencies, and to other 
parties who are known to have an interest in the project. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action should be addressed to the 
FTA.

Background

    Rail transit planning has been underway regarding the San Fernando 
Valley since 1980, with the passage locally of a \1/2\ cent sales tax 
measure to fund rail improvements in Los Angeles County. In 1986, 
studies were conducted to identify alternatives, and in 1990 and 1992, 
the MTA completed an EIR and SEIR for the study corridor. These studies 
and environmental documents led to the identification of a preferred 
rail alignment along the existing Southern Pacific Burbank Branch, 
following Chandler Boulevard, Oxnard Street, Victory Boulevard, and 
Topham Street, which the MTA subsequently purchased in 1990. In 1994, 
this corridor was endorsed by the MTA's Board of Directors.
    Local concerns which had surfaced regarding noise, aesthetics and 
other issues led to the passage by the California legislature of Senate 
Bill 211, which restricts the development of a rail transit facility 
along Chandler Boulevard to a below-grade subway from the Hollywood (SR 
170) Freeway to Hazeltine Avenue, a distance of approximately 3.5 
miles. In an effort to develop a project for implementation, the 
currently adopted alignment is being reevaluated, along with other 
alignment options, in the context of a Federally-required Major 
Investment Study, which is being administered by the FTA.

Description of the Study Area

    The study corridor extends from the North Hollywood Red Line 
station (currently under construction), located at Lankershim Boulevard 
and Chandler Boulevard, west across the entire San Fernando Valley to 
the vicinity of Valley Circle Boulevard. The length of the corridor is 
approximately 17 miles. The corridor is being considered in two phases. 
Phase I (currently included in the MTA's 20-Year Implementation Plan) 
extends from North Hollywood to the vicinity of the I-405 Freeway 
(approximately 6 miles in length). Phase II extends from I-405 to the 
west (approximately 11 miles in length). In addition to the Southern 
Pacific Burbank Branch, other alignment variations are being considered 
along segments of Oxnard Street and Sherman Way. Also, a potential 
connection to the Chatsworth Metrolink station is under consideration, 
thus extending the corridor to the north at that location.

Alternatives

    A range of alternatives is being considered as part of the MIS/EIS/
SEIR. These include the following:
 No Build
    This alternative would include the transit system primarily as it 
exists today, augmented by those additional projects for which a 
funding commitment has been made. The Red Line would terminate at the 
North Hollywood station, and the level of bus service shown in the MTA 
Long range Plan would be provided, in accordance with the findings of 
the San Fernando Valley Bus Restructuring Study. Highway and HOV 
projects would be provided on a number of freeways.
 Transportation Systems Management/Best Bus
    This alternative would not require major investment for capital 
cost items, but would rather focus its efforts on maximizing the 
efficiency of existing facilities and expanding and improving the 
existing bus system. Enhanced bus service would be provided, on-street 
bus lanes would be included, and park-ride lots would be proposed. 
Buses would be 

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given priority through traffic signal preemption techniques. 
Intersection improvements would be proposed to reduce congestion at 
selected locations. Arterial improvements would be identified to 
improve east-west movements in the study corridor.
 Rail Transit Alternatives
    A range of rail transit alternatives will be developed to serve the 
study corridor that will include technology options such as the Red 
Line heavy rail, the Blue/Green Line light rail, or, as potentially 
feasible in selected applications, Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs). 
Alignments will include the SP Burbank Branch, Oxnard Street, Sherman 
Way and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Profile options will range from 
below-grade subway to at-grade alignments to above-grade sections 
(bearing in mind the restrictions imposed by SB211), in areas permitted 
by law.

Probable Effects

    The FTA and MTA will evaluate all significant environmental, social 
and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the MIS/DEIS/
DSEIR. Potential impact categories which will be evaluated include: 
Land Use and Development; Economic and Fiscal Impacts; Displacement and 
Relocation; Traffic Circulation and Parking; Community and Neighborhood 
Impacts; Visual and Aesthetic Impacts; Air Quality; Noise and 
Vibration; Geotechnical Considerations; Water Resources; Natural 
Resources; Energy; Safety and Security; Cultural Resources; Community 
Facilities and Parklands; Construction Impacts. The impacts will be 
evaluated both for the construction period and the long-term period of 
operation, and financial information in support of the MIS will be 
provided. Measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts will also be 
addressed.

MIS Process

    The MIS process was formally initiated by the SCAG MIS Committee at 
its June, 1995 meeting. At that meeting, the Committee concurred in the 
definition of the proposed study corridor. Within the corridor, a range 
of alternatives is being studied in the MIS, which is being conducted 
in parallel with the EIS. The alternatives (as described above) 
include: No Project, Transportation Systems Management (TSM), Enhanced 
Bus, and a series of rail transit alternatives, including options 
regarding technology, alignment, profile, and station locations. When 
completed, the FTA intends to issue its EIS jointly with the MTA's 
SEIR, which will update the environmental documentation required under 
CEQA.

FTA Procedures

    The EIS process will be performed in accordance with Federal 
Transit Laws and FTA's regulations and guidelines for preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement. The impacts of the project will be 
assessed, and, if necessary, the scope of the project will be revised 
or refined to minimize and mitigate any adverse impacts. After its 
publication, the draft EIS will be available for public and private 
agency review and comment. One public hearing will be held. On the 
basis of the draft EIS and comments received, the project will be 
revised or further refined as necessary and the final EIS completed.

    Date Issued: October 18, 1995.
Leslie Rogers,
Deputy Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 95-26360 Filed 10-23-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P