[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 172 (Friday, September 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47341-47343]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24025]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed Resort Corridor 
Fixed Guideway Project Between Cashman Field, Las Vegas, NV and 
McCarran International Airport, Clark County, NV

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as Federal lead 
agency, and the Regional Transportation Commission of Clark County 
(RTC), as local lead agency, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA) on a proposal by RTC to further study the proposed 
implementation of a fixed guideway (urban rail) system within a 
corridor, known as the Resort Corridor, 9 miles long and 4 miles wide 
between Cashman Field in the City of Las Vegas and McCarran 
International Airport in Clark County.
    The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives adopted as part of 
the fixed guideway element of the Transportation Master Plan for the 
Resort Corridor as defined in the Resort Corridor Major Investment 
Study (MIS), Final Evaluation Report, dated October 9, 1997; (1) The 
Fixed Guideway Element Initial Operating Segment (IOS). This 
alternative includes an elevated fixed guideway system 5.2 miles long, 
10 fixed guideway stations, a supporting bus transit system element, 
and is also known as Phase 1 of the Report Corridor Transportation 
Master Plan. (2) The Fixed Guideway Element Core System. This 
alternative includes an elevated fixed guideway system 15.6 miles long, 
27 fixed guideway stations, and a supporting bus transit system 
element. (3) The Fixed Guideway Element Core System with an extension 
along Harmon Avenue to McCarran International Airport. This alternative 
includes an elevated fixed guideway system 18.4 miles long, 31 fixed 
guideway stations, and a supporting bus transit system element. (4) The 
Fixed Guideway Core System with an extension along Tropicana Avenue to 
McCarran

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International Airport. This alternative includes an elevated fixed 
guideway system 18.0 miles long, 28 fixed guideway stations, and a 
supporting bus transit system element. (5) A No Build alternative, 
which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in 
the Resort Corridor beyond already committed projects. Potential new 
feasible alternatives or revisions to the above alternatives generated 
through the scoping process will also be considered.
    Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with interested 
persons, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies; and two 
public scoping meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the 
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be submitted by 
October 16, 1998. Written comments should be sent to Mr. Lee Gibson, 
Planning Manager, RTC, 301 E. Clark Avenue, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 
89101. Written comments may also be made at the public scoping meetings 
scheduled below: The public scoping meetings will take place on: (1) 
Tuesday, September 22, 1998 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Cashman 
Field and (2) Tuesday, September 29, 1998 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
at Clark County Flamingo Library. See ADDRESSES below.
    People with special needs should contact Lee Gibson at RTC at the 
address below or by calling (702) 455-4481. The buildings in which the 
scoping meetings will be conducted are accessible to people with 
disabilities.
    The meetings will be held in an ``open-house'' format, and 
representatives will be available to discuss the project throughout the 
time periods given. Information displays and written material will also 
be available throughout the time periods given.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Lee Gibson, Planning 
Manager, RTC, 301 E. Clark Avenue, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89101. 
Written comments may also be made at the public scoping meetings 
scheduled below. The Scoping Meetings will take place at the following 
locations: (1) Tuesday, September 22, 1998 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 
at Cashman Field, 850 Las Vegas Boulevard North, Las Vegas, NV 89101 
and (2) Tuesday, September 29, 1998 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the 
Clark County Flamingo Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 
89119.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Lee Gibson, Planning Manager, RTC, 301 E. Clark Avenue, Suite 300, 
Las Vegas, NV 89101, (702) 455-4481, or fax (702) 455-2937.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and RTC invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in defining the fixed 
guideway and supported bus system alternatives to be evaluated in the 
EIS and identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental 
issues related to the alternatives. An information packet describing 
the results of the Resort Corridor major Investment Study, the 
Transportation Master Plan for the Resort Corridor, the purpose of the 
project, the project location, the proposed alternatives, and the 
impact areas to be evaluated is being mailed to affected Federal, 
State, and local agencies. Other interested parties may request the 
scoping materials by contacting Mr. Lee Gibson, Planning Manager, RTC, 
301 E. Clark Avenue, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89101, (702) 455-4481, or 
fax (702) 455-2937. Scoping comments may be made in writing at the 
public scoping meetings. See the Scoping Meeting section above for the 
locations and times. 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 the preferences should be 
communicated after the Draft EIS has been completed. If you wish to be 
placed on the mailing list to receive further information as the 
project develops, contact: Mr. Lee Gibson, Planning Manager, RTC, 301 
E. Clark Avenue, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89101, (702) 455-4481, or fax 
(702) 455-2937.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The study area, called the Resort Corridor, is bounded on the north 
by Washington Avenue, on the east by Maryland Parkway and Eastern 
Avenue, on the south by Windmill Lane, and on the west by Valley View 
Boulevard. The Resort Corridor is approximately 9 miles long and 4 
miles wide and represents approximately 10 percent of the urbanized Las 
Vegas Valley land area. The Resort Corridor encompasses the 
geographical center and the economic focal point of the Las Vegas 
metropolitan area with 50 percent of the region's employment.
    The study corridor contains the key activity, employment, and 
transportation facilities in the Las Vegas area such as: the Grant 
Sawyer State Office Building, Cashman Field and Convention Center, 
downtown Las Vegas, Downtown Transit Center, Clark County and City of 
Las Vegas government office complexes, Federal office buildings, 
Fremont Street Experience, major hospital complexes, 90,000 plus hotel 
rooms (The Strip), three major regional shopping centers, Las Vegas 
Convention Center, University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), Thomas and 
Mack Center, South Resort Corridor Transit Center, and McCarran 
International Airport.
    This EIS is the logical next step in transportation planning and 
project development following RTC'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 community stakeholders, and a 
detailed evaluation of a wide range of alternatives to meet the 
mobility needs identified in the MIS. The following findings of need in 
the Resort Corridor over the 20-year planning period were identified 
and guided the development and evaluation of the alternatives for the 
MIS:
     Between 1995 and 2020 the number of jobs in the Resort 
Corridor will increase from 238,000 (50 percent of the region's jobs) 
to 492,000 (44 percent of the region's jobs).
     Between 1995 and 2020 the region's population will 
increase from 950,000 to almost 2 million (over 100 percent increase).
     Between 1995 and 2020 the full implementation of the 
Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) will increase roadway capacity by 
only 27 percent. During this same period, demand for vehicle travel 
will increase approximately 54 percent.
     Should the community attempt to provide for mobility in 
its traditional manner of building streets, highways, and freeways to 
accommodate the travel demand, the equivalent of 20 east-west and 18 
north-south arterial lanes of roadways will have to be built in the 
Resort Corridor. Such arterial lanes would be added to the roadway 
projects already programmed in the RTP.
     The RTP will consume all existing roadway rights-of-way 
and will complete the roadway infrastructure improvement program for 
the Resort Corridor. If new roadway construction, or widening of 
existing travel ways, is to occur beyond those identified in the

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RTP, additional right-of-way will have to be acquired.
     Regional vehicle travel, especially residential trips to 
and from work in the Resort Corridor, contribute significantly to the 
travel demands placed on the Resort Corridor's roadways.
     Regional utilization of public bus transit (Citizens Area 
Transit or CAT) increased 175 percent between 1993 and 1997. Attempting 
to solve the roadway congestion conditions in the Resort Corridor 
solely by expanding the ridership on CAT will be virtually impossible 
unless substantial infrastructure improvements are also implemented to 
increase the ability of buses to operate on the roadways.
     Meeting the mobility demands within the Resort Corridor 
will require the establishment of a multi-modal, fully integrated set 
of transportation solutions.
     Travel volumes, land use densities, and employment 
concentration will warrant the consideration of establishing a higher 
order of public transit that operates in a separate right-of-way.
     Programs directed at reducing the amount of travel in 
private vehicles and encouraging the use of public transit within the 
Resort Corridor and between the Resort Corridor and the remainder of 
the community are needed.
    The MIS process developed a number of alternatives to address the 
above statement of needs. Detailed analysis at a conceptual engineering 
level was completed for a set of multi-modal alternatives to identify 
cost, ridership, cost-effectiveness measures, and environmental 
benefits and impacts. The results led to the development and adoption 
of a Transportation Master Plan for the Resort Corridor that includes 
four components: a fixed guideway element, an enhanced bus program, a 
transportation demand management element, and a street and highway 
element along with the adoption of a Phase 1 fixed guideway element and 
supporting bus system component. This EIS focuses on the fixed guideway 
element and the supporting bus system component.

III. Alternatives

    The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives adopted as part of 
the fixed guideway element of the Transportation Master Plan for the 
Resort Corridor as defined in the Resort Corridor Major Investment 
Study (MIS), Final Evaluation Report, dated October 9, 1997: (1) The 
Fixed Guideway Element Initial Operating Segment (IOS). This 
alternative includes an elevated fixed guideway system 5.2 miles long, 
10 fixed guideway stations, a supporting bus transit system element, 
and is also known as Phase 1 of the Resort Corridor Transportation 
Master Plan. (2) The Fixed Guideway Element Core System. This 
alternative includes an elevated fixed guideway System 15.6 miles long, 
27 fixed guideway stations, and a supporting bus transit system 
element. (3) The Fixed Guideway Element Core system with an extension 
along Harmon Avenue to McCarran International Airport. This alternative 
includes an elevated fixed guideway system 18.4 miles long, 31 fixed 
guideway stations, and a supporting bus transit system element. (4) The 
Fixed Guideway Core System with an extension along Tropicana Avenue to 
McCarran International Airport. This alternative includes an elevated 
fixed guideway system 18.0 miles long, 28 fixed guideway stations, and 
a supporting bus transit system element. (5) A No Build alternative, 
which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in 
the Resort Corridor beyond already committed projects. In addition, 
special consideration will be given to evaluating three alternative 
technology groups for the elevated fixed guideway system. These 
technologies include light rail transit (LRT), automated guideway 
transit (AGT), and large monorail transit systems. Potential new 
feasible alternatives or revisions to the above alternatives generated 
through the scoping process will also be considered.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA and RTC will evaluate, in the EIS, all significant social, 
economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The previous 
MIS study evaluated these impacts at level of detail sufficient to 
adopt the components of the Transportation Master Plan and to identify 
the alternatives and issues to be addressed in the EIS. Among the 
primary transit issues to be evaluated in the EIS are the expected 
increase in transit ridership including visitor trips and residents 
trips, the expected increase in mobility for the transit dependent 
population, the support of the region's air quality goals, the economic 
benefits, satisfying the overall transportation needs of the Resort 
Corridor, the capital outlays needed to construct the project, the cost 
of operating and maintaining the facilities created by the project, the 
impacts of any private urban transit-grade fixed guideway projects, and 
the financial impacts on the funding agencies. Potentially affected 
environmental and social resources proposed for further analyses and 
re-evaluation in the EIS include, land use and neighborhood impacts, 
residential and business displacements and relocations, traffic and 
parking impacts near stations and along the alignments, visual impacts, 
noise and vibration impacts, major utility relocation impacts, and 
impacts on cultural and archaeological resources. Impacts on air 
quality, water quality, and hazardous waste sites 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 EIS alternatives with conceptual engineering detail and the 
Preliminary Engineering level of detail for the Phase 1, Initial 
Operating Segment (IOS) alternative will be prepared simultaneously. 
The EIS/conceptual engineering process will assess the social, 
economic, and environmental impacted of the proposed alternatives while 
refining their design to minimize and mitigate any adverse impacts. 
After its publication, the Draft EIS will be available for public 
review and comment, and public hearings will be held. On the basis of 
the Draft EIS and comments received, RTC will select a refined Fixed 
Guideway Element and a refined fixed guideway IOS project definition. 
RTC will then select the refined IOS project alternative that will be 
carried into the Final EIS and will complete the preliminary 
engineering. Following this action by RTC, RTC will request FTA 
authorization to proceed with the Final EIS and to complete the 
preliminary engineering activities.

    Issued on: September 2, 1998.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-24025 Filed 9-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M