[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30558-30559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14768]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Major Investment Study/Environmental Impact Statement on the 
Lower Manhattan Access Alternatives Study in New York County, NY

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA) DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Major Investment Study/
Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority (MTA) intend to prepare a Major Investment 
Study (MIS) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance 
with the FTA/Federal Highway Administration's Statewide Planning, 
Metropolitan Planning regulations under 23 CFR part 450 and the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and 
implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508) to study transportation improvements for 
access to the lower portion of Manhattan in the City of New York. This 
study will also comply with the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act 
Amendments (CAAA). The MTA will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the 
requirements of the State of New York Environmental Quality Review Act 
and the City of New York Environmental Quality Review Act.
    The MIS/DEIS will investigate how the transportation system serving 
Lower Manhattan can be improved. Lower Manhattan is an area that: (1) 
Is experiencing growth in new sectors (residential, recreation and 
tourist) resulting in a changing mix of land uses and activities; (2) 
is highly-dependent on quality transit services for continued economic 
viability; and (3) is perceived to be difficult to access, particularly 
from commuter railroad terminals in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
    The purpose of this Lower Manhattan Access Alternatives MIS/DEIS 
study is to (1) develop feasible, cost-effective, and broadly 
beneficial transportation solutions that can meet the area's 
transportation shortcomings; (2) maintain or improve Lower Manhattan's 
environmental quality; and (3) provide meaningful and significant 
opportunities for business, civic and community input throughout the 
study process.
    Among the alternatives that the MIS/DEIS will evaluate are the No-
Build Alternative; Transportation System Management (TSM) alternatives; 
high quality shuttle services; new subway services; extended commuter 
rail services; and other new alternatives generated through the scoping 
process. Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with 
interested persons, organizations, and federal, state and local 
agencies, and afternoon and evening public scoping meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the alternatives and 
impacts to be considered should be sent to the MTA by July 14, 1998. 
Written comments on the project scope should be sent to John D. Dean, 
Project Manager, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 347 Madison 
Avenue (10th Floor), New York, New York 10017. Oral comments may also 
be provided at the scoping meeting. Scoping Meetings: Public scoping 
meetings will be held on:
     Thursday, June 18, 1998, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the U.S. 
Customs House, 1 Bowling Green, New York, New York 10041.
     Thursday, June 18, 1998, 5 PM to 7 PM, in the MTA Board 
Room, 347 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York , New York 10017.
     Tuesday, June 23, 1998, 5 PM to 7 PM, Social Services 
Auditorium, 101 County Seat Drive, Mineola, New York 11501.
     Wednesday, June 24, 1998, 5 PM to 7 PM, Westchester County 
Center, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains, New York 10601.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Carr, Director, Office of 
Planning and Program Development, Federal Transit Administration, 26 
Federal Plaza, Suite 2940, New York, New York 10278. Phone: (212) 264-
8162, FAX (212) 264-8973.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and MTA invite all individuals, organizations, and federal, 
state, and local agencies to participate in defining the alternatives 
to be evaluated in the MIS/DEIS and identifying any significant social, 
economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. A draft 
Scoping Document will be prepared to describe the purpose of the 
project, the proposed alternatives, the impact areas to be evaluated, 
the public involvement program, and the preliminary project schedule. 
This

[[Page 30559]]

document will be mailed to affected federal, state, and local agencies, 
and will be provided upon request to interested parties on record. The 
draft Scoping Document may also be obtained from John D. Dean, Project 
Manager, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 347 Madison Avenue, New 
York, New York 10017 or downloaded from the project website 
[www.lowermanhattan.com]. Scoping comments may be made verbally at the 
public scoping meetings, or in writing. See the DATES section above for 
locations and times. During the scoping phase of the project, 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 achieving similar transit 
objectives. Scoping is not the appropriate forum in which to indicate a 
preference for a particular alternative. Anyone wishing to be placed on 
the mailing list to receive further information should contact John D. 
Dean of the MTA as previously described.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The core study area is Lower Manhattan south of the following 
streets: beginning at the Hudson River, east along Chambers Street, 
north along West Broadway, east along Worth Street, south along St. 
James Place, and east along Dover Street (Brooklyn Bridge) to the East 
River. These study area boundaries provide a rough guide, and are to be 
considered flexible and dependent on the outcome of the scoping 
process. The study area includes key business locations such as the 
World Trade Center and World Financial Center; Wall Street and Water 
Street corridor; civic sites such as City Hall, Federal Plaza, and 
Foley Square; historic and recreational areas such as South Street 
Seaport, Federal Hall, and the Battery; and growing residential areas 
such as Southbridge Towers, Battery Park City, and new residential 
conversions of former commercial space east of Broad Street.
    This study will examine three primary access corridors that link 
New York's northern and eastern suburbs to the Lower Manhattan ``core 
area.'' These corridors can be summarized as being (1) on the eastside 
of Manhattan, largely from the Grand Central Terminal area; (2) on the 
west side of Manhattan, from the Penn Station/Port Authority Bus 
Terminal area, and (3) across the East River, from the Atlantic 
Terminal Complex in downtown Brooklyn. Other reasonable access 
corridors identified in the scoping process will also be considered.
    The purpose of the MIS/DEIS process is, in coordination with a 
regional framework of transportation studies, to thoroughly examine the 
short and long term needs and available options for improving 
transportation access to Lower Manhattan, and to identify a preferred 
investment strategy that will address the study area's transportation 
needs in a cost-effective, equitable, and publicly acceptable manner. 
This study will consider the findings, conclusions, and recommendations 
of other recent and contemporary regional transportation studies and 
data gathering efforts, and closely coordinate with these ongoing 
studies.

III. Alternatives

    Current Alternatives proposed for evaluation include: (1) No-Build, 
which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in 
the study area beyond already committed projects; (2) The 
Transportation System Management (TSM) alternative, which consists of 
low-to-medium cost improvements that address both short and long term 
needs; (3) High Quality Shuttle Service from Grand Central Terminal 
and/or Jamaica Station to Lower Manhattan using newly constructed and/
or existing rights of way, such as the BMT Broadway Line or the LIRR 
Atlantic Branch; (4) New Subway Service including potential 
construction of the Second Avenue Subway to Lower Manhattan; and (5) 
Extended Commuter Rail from Grand Central Terminal and/or Jamaica to 
Lower Manhattan using newly constructed and/or existing rights of way. 
Other reasonable alternatives proposed during the scoping process would 
also be considered.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

    The MIS/DEIS will evaluate all significant social, economic and 
environmental impacts of the proposed alternatives. Among the issues to 
be investigated in the study area and its access corridors are the 
potential increase in transit ridership on the current system, the 
expected increase in mobility, the capital outlays needed to construct 
the project improvements, and the cost of operating and maintaining the 
facilities created by the project. Social and environmental impacts 
proposed for analysis include land use and urban development impacts, 
visual impacts, impacts on cultural and open space resources, health 
and safety impacts, and noise and vibration impacts. Impacts on natural 
areas, geologic forms, air quality, groundwater, and hazardous 
materials will also be analyzed. The impacts will be evaluated both for 
the construction period and for the long-term period of operation. 
Impacts to the markets outside the core study area and the access 
corridors will also be examined where it is appropriate (i.e. traffic 
and parking near suburban rail stations). Measures to mitigate 
significant adverse impacts will be considered.

IV. FTA Procedures

    In accordance with Federal Transit Laws and FTA regulations and 
policies, the MIS/DEIS will include an evaluation of the social, 
economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. After its 
publication, the MIS/DEIS will be available for public and agency 
review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the basis of 
the MIS/DEIS and the public and agency comments received, the MTA will 
select a locally preferred alternative for a major investment strategy. 
The locally preferred alternative will then be presented to the 
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for affirmation and inclusion 
into the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Transportation 
Improvement Program (TIP).

    Issued on: May 29, 1998.
Letitia Thompson,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-14768 Filed 6-3-98; 8:45 am]
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