[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 97 (Wednesday, May 20, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 27782-27784] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-13438] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Transit Administration Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Urban Rail Project Between the Fullerton Transportation Center and Irvine Transportation Center, Orange County, CA AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as lead agency, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) on a proposal by OCTA to further study the proposed implementation of an urban rail system within a corridor 45 kilometers (28 miles) long and 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) wide between the Cities of Fullerton and Irvine, known as the Orange County Urban Rail (Urban Rail) Project. In addition to NEPA, the proposed project is subject to compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), therefore, a joint Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/EIS will be prepared. The EIR/EIS will evaluate the following alternatives: 1) The Local Preferred Strategy (LPS) Alignment Alternative. This alternative would follow the alignment identified in the Priority Corridor Major Investment Study, June 1997, on an elevated guideway. 2) A Lower Cost Alternative (LCA). This alternative would connect the Fullerton and Irvine Transportation Centers and would serve many of the activity centers in the Corridor along a route which minimizes the distance and number of freeway crossings. The system would be primarily at grade on local streets. 3) A No Build Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects. Potential new feasible alternatives generated through the scoping process will also be considered. Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with interested [[Page 27783]] persons, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies; and one public scoping meeting DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be considered should be submitted by June 22, 1998. Written comments should be sent to Ms. Cindy Krebs, OCTA, 550 South Main Street, P.O. Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863. Written comments may also be made at the public scoping meeting scheduled below. Scoping Meeting: The public scoping meeting will take place on: Thursday, June 4, 1998 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fullerton Senior Center. See ADDRESS below. People with special needs should contact Cindy Krebs at OCTA at the address below or by calling (714) 560-5740. A TDD number is also available: (714) 636-4327. The building is accessible to people with disabilities. The meeting will be held in an ``open-house'' format, and representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the time periods given. Informational displays and written material will also be available throughout the time periods given. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ms. Cindy Krebs, OCTA, 550 South Main Street, P.O. Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863. Written comments may also be made at the public scoping meting as scheduled below. The Scoping Meeting will take place at the following location: Thursday, June 4, 1998 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Fullerton Senior Center, 340 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cindy Krebs, OCTA, 550 South Main Street, P.O. Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863, (714) 560-5740, or fax (714) 560-5794. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Scoping FTA and OCTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated in the EIR/EIS and identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. An information packet describing the purpose of the project, the location, the proposed alternatives, and the impact areas to be evaluated is being mailed to affected Federal, State, and local agencies. Others may request the scoping materials by contacting Ms. Cindy Krebs, OCTA, 550 South Main Street, P.O. Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863, (714) 560-5740, or fax (714) 560-5794. Scoping comments may be made in writing at the public scoping meeting. See the Scoping Meeting section above for the location and time. During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that are less costly or less environmentally damaging while meeting the identified mobility needs. Scoping is not the appropriate time to indicate a preference for a particular alternative. Comments on preferences should be communicated after the Draft EIR/EIS has been completed. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further information as the project develops, contact: Ms. Cindy Krebs, OCTA, 550 South Main Street, P.O. Box 14184, Orange, CA 92863, (714) 560-5740, or fax (714) 560-5794. II. Description of Study Area and Project Need The study area extends from the City of Fullerton in a general southward direction through the Cities of Anaheim, Orange, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Costa Mesa and then eastward to the City of Irvine, California. The area is approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) long and 9.7 kilometers (6 miles) wide. The study corridor contains key activity, employment, and transportation facilities in Orange County such as: Fullerton College, Downtown Fullerton, Fullerton Transportation Center, Orangefair Mall, Downtown Anaheim, Disneyland, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim Stadium (Edison Field), Anaheim Amtrak Station, the Arrowhead Pond, the City Mills, the St. Joseph Children's Hospital, the Main Place Mall, Santa Ana Transportation Center, Downtown Santa Ana, the Federal, County and City Civic Center area, South Coast Plaza/Metro, Orange Coast College, John Wayne Airport, UCI, the Irvine Spectrum and Entertainment Center, and the Irvine Transportation Center. This EIR/EIS is the logical next step in transportation planning and project development following OCTA's completion of a Major Investment Study (MIS) of the mobility needs in the study area. This MIS employed a far-reaching public involvement program, continuous coordination with affected and interested agencies, and a detailed evaluation of a wide range of alternatives to meet the identified mobility needs. As the MIS process was mode-neutral in nature, the public identified a comprehensive set of bus, road, and urban rail alternatives. Detailed analysis at a conceptual engineering level was completed for a set of alternatives to identify project cost, ridership, cost-effectiveness measurements, and environmental benefits and impacts. The results led to the development of a Locally Preferred Strategy (LPS) that includes: (1) optimization of the present system through expanded bus service and increased Metrolink commuter rail service seats and (2) continued study of a light rail system between the Fullerton and Irvine Transportation Centers. This EIS focuses on the light rail alternative. An effective multi-modal transportation network within the project study area is necessary to meet the future mobility needs of businesses and residents in Orange County. By the year 2020, despite current and planned transportation system improvements, the magnitude and nature of the County's population and employment growth trends are projected to result in continuing transportation challenges in the corridor area as evidenced by: increasing travel--approximately 1.8 million more daily trips; growing transit-reliant population--doubling of senior population; continuing freeway congestion--73 percent of the freeway system will operate at 30 m.p.h. or less during morning and evening peak periods; increasing arterial congestion--major intersections with delay will grow from four percent to 27 percent; and limited travel options--congested freeway and street system, and financially constrained bus and Metrolink service. III. Alternatives The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: (1) LPS Alignment Alternative. This alternative would follow the alignment identified in the Priority Corridor Major Investment Study (June, 1997), which provided for an elevated guideway from end to end within the arterial corridors. The elevated guideway would typically be supported on columns within the median. (2) A Lower Cost Alternative (LCA). This alternative would connect the Fullerton and Irvine Transportation Centers and would serve many of the activity centers in the Corridor along a route which minimizes the distance and number of freeway crossings. The system would be primarily at grade on local streets. (3) A No Build Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects. Potential new feasible alternatives generated through the scoping process will also be considered. IV. Probable Effects FTA and OCTA will evaluate, in the EIR/EIS, all significant social, economic, [[Page 27784]] and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The previous MIS study evaluated these impacts at a corridor level of detail for the LPS Alternative alignment. These issues will be evaluated at a project level of detail in the Draft EIR/EIS. Among the primary transit issues to be evaluated 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. Potentially affected environmental and social resources proposed for analysis include land use and neighborhood impacts, residential and business displacements and relocations, traffic and parking impacts near stations, traffic circulation, visual impacts, impacts on cultural and archaeological resources, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on air and water quality, groundwater, hazardous waste sites, and water resources will also be covered. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts will be considered. V. FTA Procedures The EIR/EIS and the conceptual engineering for the Urban Rail project will be prepared simultaneously. The EIR/EIS/conceptual engineering process will assess the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the proposed alternatives while refining their design to minimize and mitigate any adverse impacts. After its publication, the Draft EIR/EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the basis on the Draft EIR/EIS and comments received, OCTA will select a preferred alternative to carry forward into the Final EIR/EIS and complete engineering. Following this action by OCTA, OCTA will request FTA authorization to proceed with the Final EIS/EIR and complete engineering. Issued: May 15, 1998. Leslie Rogers, Regional Administrator Federal Transit Administration Region IX. [FR Doc. 98-13438 Filed 5-19-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-57-U