[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1649-1650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-539]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement on the South Corridor Transitway, 
Charlotte, NC

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the City of 
Charlotte intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on the 
proposed South Corridor Transitway in Mecklenburg County, North 
Carolina. The study corridor of approximately 13.5 miles extends from 
Uptown Charlotte (the center city) to the Town of Pineville.
    The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives: a No-Build 
alternative; a Transportation System Management alternative consisting 
of low to medium cost improvements to the facilities and operation of 
local bus services (Charlotte Transit) in addition to currently planned 
transit improvements in the study corridor; and multiple ``Build'' 
alternatives including light rail transit, diesel multiple units, bus 
rapid transit, and combined bus rapid transit and high-occupancy 
vehicle facilities. (See Section III. Alternatives for additional 
information.) Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence with 
interested persons, organizations, and federal, state, and local 
agencies, and through public and agency meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to the City of Charlotte by 
March 1, 1999. See ADDRESSES below. Scoping Meetings: A public scoping 
meeting will be held on Wednesday January 27, 1999 from 5:00 p.m. to 
9:00 p.m. at the Sedgefield Middle School located at 2700 Dorchester 
Place, Charlotte, NC. See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to 
be studied should be sent to Mr. Rick Davis, City of Charlotte 
Corporate Communications, 600 East Fourth Street, Charlotte, NC 28202-
2858. Scoping meetings will be held at the following location: 
Sedgefield Middle School, 2700 Dorchester Place, Charlotte, NC. See 
DATES above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Myra Immings, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region IV, (404) 562-3508.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA and the City of Charlotte invite interested individuals, 
organizations, and federal, state and local agencies to participate in 
defining the alternatives to be evaluated and identifying any 
significant social, economic, or environmental issues related to the 
alternatives. Specific suggestions related to additional alternatives 
to be examined and issues to be addressed are welcome and will be 
considered in the final scope. Scoping comments may be made at the 
scoping meetings or in writing no later than March 1, 1999. (see DATES 
and ADDRESSES above). 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 which achieve similar transit objectives. 
Comments should focus on the issues and alternatives for analysis, and 
not on a preference for a particular alternative.
    Scoping materials will be available at the meeting or in advance of 
the meeting by contacting the City of Charlotte as indicated above. If 
you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive further 
information as the project continues contact Mr. Rick Davis at the City 
of Charlotte Corporate Communications (see ADDRESSES above).

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The proposed project consists of a major public transit investment 
in the South Corridor of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region. The project 
corridor length is approximately 13.5 miles and extends from Uptown 
Charlotte (the center city) to the Town of Pineville. The project study 
area is generally bounded by Interstate 77 (I-77) on the west, and US 
521 (South Boulevard) on the west, and includes the Norfolk Southern 
rail line. Land uses in the study corridor are characterized by higher 
density office and commercial development at the northernmost portion 
of the corridor located in the center city; the remainder of the 
corridor has predominantly older, low density strip commercial, light 
industrial/manufacturing uses, with the southern portion having a mixed 
use character of residential, commercial, and some undeveloped tracts 
of land.
    The South Corridor Transitway project is a direct outgrowth of 
prior transit planning activities for the region. Future growth 
projections for the region estimate a population increase of 57 percent 
and a 47 percent increase in employment by the year 2025. The 2025 
Integrated Transit-Land Use Plan for Charlotte-Mecklenburg identified 
the South Corridor as a high-priority transit corridor based on current 
and future mobility needs, cost feasibility and potential ridership.
    The South Boulevard corridor (US 521) and portions of I-77 within 
the study area experience severe congestion and delays and are 
considered to be one of the major transportation problems facing this 
rapidly growing region. The North Carolina Department of Transportation 
(NCDOT) estimates that neither of these facilities will be widened 
within the next 15-20 years because of costs and other impacts. 
Currently, South Boulevard, a four-lane arterial, is rated as having 
very poor mobility and with the projected increase in future traffic 
volumes, travel conditions will continue to deteriorate. Past studies 
performed in accordance with federal guidelines indicate the need for 
increased public transit

[[Page 1650]]

services in addition to roadway facilities in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg 
region.
    In response to this need, the City of Charlotte in conjunction with 
FTA is initiating the scoping phase of the EIS process to evaluate 
alternative transit options for the South Corridor.

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: (1) No-build, 
which involves no change to transportation service or facilities in the 
corridor beyond already committed projects; (2) a Transportation System 
Management alternative, which consists of low to medium cost 
improvements to the operations of the local bus service, Charlotte 
Transit, in addition to the currently planned transit improvements in 
the corridor; and multiple ``build'' alternatives including (3) light 
rail transit (LRT) located within the existing Norfolk Southern rail 
right of way and the South Boulevard (US 521) right of way; (4) diesel 
multiple units (DMU) located in the existing Norfolk Southern rail 
right of way; (5) bus rapid transit (BRT) using exclusive bus-only 
roadways in the project corridor including those constructed within the 
existing Norfolk Southern rail right of way and the I-77 right of way; 
(6) combined BRT and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities using the 
I-77 right of way.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA, NCDOT, and the City of Charlotte will evaluate all significant 
social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives 
analyzed in the EIS. Primary environmental issues are expected to 
include neighborhood protection, aesthetics, environmental justice, 
potential contamination sites, changes in traffic patterns, potential 
archaeological and historic resources, and possibly some natural areas 
and wetlands. Environmental and social impacts proposed for analysis 
include land use and neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking impacts 
near stations and throughout the project corridor, visual impacts, 
cultural and community resource impacts, public recreational facility 
impacts, noise and vibration impacts, and air quality impacts. In 
addition, adverse impacts to underprivileged social groups will be 
considered. Impacts to wetlands, natural areas, rare and endangered 
species, water quality and potential contamination sites will be 
evaluated. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction 
period and for the long-term period of operation. Measures to mitigate 
any significant adverse impacts will be developed.

    Issued on: December 31, 1998.
George T. Thomson,
Deputy Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-539 Filed 1-8-99; 8:45 am]
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