[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 39 (Monday, March 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10061-10062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-5000]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement on the Central Phoenix /East 
Valley Light Rail Transit System

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 Phoenix 
Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA), in cooperation with 
the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa intend to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on the proposed Central Phoenix/East 
Valley light rail transit project in Maricopa County, Arizona. The EIS 
will evaluate the following alternatives: a no-build alternative and 
light rail transit alignment options (including station locations, 
support facilities, and a supporting bus system) plus any additional 
alternatives that emerge from the scoping process. Scoping will be 
accomplished through correspondence and discussions with interested 
persons, organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies, and 
through public meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to the RPTA, 302 N. First 
Avenue, Suite 600, Phoenix, AZ 85003 by April 2, 1999.
    Scoping Meetings: RPTA and the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa 
will conduct public scoping meetings on the following dates and 
locations:
     Tuesday, March 16, 1999, 5:00 pm--7:00 pm--Program Room, 
Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road, Tempe, Arizona
     Wednesday, March 17, 1999, 5:00 pm--7:00 pm--Music Room 
(4th Floor), Central Phoenix/Main Library (Burton Barr Public Library), 
1221 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.
     Thursday, March 18, 1999, 5:00 pm--7:00 pm, Saguaro Room, 
(2nd Floor), Mesa Public Library, 64 East 1st Avenue, Mesa, Arizona and
     Friday, March 19, 1999, 10:30 am--1:00 pm, Phoenix City 
Hall Assembly Room, A&B, 200 W. Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to Mr. 
Wulf Grote PE, Project Director, RPTA, 302 N. First Avenue, Suite 600, 
Phoenix, AZ 85003. Scoping meetings will be at the locations stated 
above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert E. Hom, Director, Office of 
Planning and Program Development Federal Transit Administration, Region 
IX, (415) 744-3133.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA and the RPTA, in cooperation with the cities of Phoenix, 
Tempe and Mesa invite written comments until April 2, 1999.
    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 objectives. Comments should focus on the 
issues and alternatives for analysis, and not on a preference for a 
particular alternative. Individual preference for a particular 
alternative should be communicated during the comment period for the 
Draft EIS. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list to receive 
further information as the project continues, contact Mr. Wulf Grote at 
the RPTA; (see ADDRESSES above). A scoping package describing the light 
rail alignment alternative in greater detail is also available by mail 
from Mr. Wulf Grote at (602) 262-7242.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The proposed project for environmental review consists of 
approximately a 25-mile total light rail transit system. An initial 
operating segment consisting of approximately 13 miles, in the core of 
the corridor, has been identified as the focus of the preliminary 
engineering effort. The total corridor links Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa 
from Mesa Drive in downtown Mesa, through Tempe, west to downtown 
Phoenix and north along the Central Avenue Corridor to the vicinity of 
19th Avenue and Bethany Home.
    For the 25-mile segment, two terminal locations in Phoenix will be 
evaluated during the NEPA process. One terminal location is in the 
vicinity of Central Avenue and Camelback Road. The other is located in 
the vicinity of 19th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, integrated with the 
Chris-Town Mall. For the initial operating segment, the exact length of 
the LRT segment, station locations, and supporting facilities would 
also be determined during the NEPA process.
    The new light rail transit alignment will be located either within 
existing arterial streets or in the parallel Union Pacific Railroad 
(UPRR) corridor or a combination of the alignment locations. The light 
rail transit alignment provides the opportunity to connect several 
regionally significant activity centers, entertainment venues, and 
special event locations. In addition, the light rail project is being 
coordinated with the City of Phoenix, Aviation Department and is 
included as an integral mobility component of the Sky Harbor 
International Airport master plan update. The light rail corridor also 
parallels Interstate 10, Interstate 17, and US 60 (Superstition 
Freeway) generally considered to be the spine of Maricopa County's 
freeway transportation system, carrying the greatest number of people 
and vehicles of any corridor in the region and serving many of the 
region's primary activity centers. Congestion and delays along these 
freeways and along the parallel arterial streets are now considered to 
be the major transportation problem facing this rapidly growing region. 
With the prospect of continued and accelerated growth in population and 
tourism in Maricopa County, travel conditions will continue to 
deteriorate at an increasing rate. Between 1990 and 1995, Maricopa 
County grew by more than 15 percent to a current population of 2.7 
million. By 2020, it is estimated that the population of Maricopa 
County will exceed 4 million. The County's growth rate was the third 
fastest among the nation's top fifty counties from 1980 through 1994.
    In response to this need, the RPTA in cooperation with the cities 
of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa have completed a

[[Page 10062]]

Major Investment Study (MIS) for the Central Phoenix/East Valley 
corridor. The MIS study resulted in a recommended design concept and 
scope consisting of a light rail transit alternative operating in one 
of several alignment options and a supporting bus system to provide the 
required mobility in the Central Phoenix/East Valley corridor and the 
region. Copies of the MIS are available from Mr. Wulf Grote at the RPTA 
(see Addresses above).

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for evaluation include: (1) No-action, 
which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in 
the corridor beyond already committed projects, (2) a new light rail 
transit alignment located either within the UPRR right-of-way or 
selected surface streets or a combination of the UPRR corridor and 
surface streets.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA and the RPTA in cooperation with the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, 
and Mesa will evaluate all significant environmental, social, and 
economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Primary 
environmental issues include: neighborhood protection, traffic 
diversion, business access, aesthetics, bicycle facilities, 
contamination, alternative modes of transportation, stormwater 
management, and archaeological and cultural resources. Environmental 
and social impacts proposed for analysis include land use and 
neighborhood impacts, traffic and parking impacts near stations, visual 
impacts, impacts on cultural resources, and noise and vibration 
impacts. Impacts on natural areas, air quality, groundwater and 
potentially contaminated 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 any significant adverse 
impacts will be developed.

V. FTA Procedures

    The EIS for the Central Phoenix/East Valley project will be 
prepared simultaneously with preliminary engineering for the 
approximately 13-mile initial operating segment in the core of the 
corridor. The EIS/preliminary 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 EIS will be available 
for public and agency review and comment, and a public hearing will be 
held. Based on the Draft EIS and comments received, the RPTA and the 
cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa will select a preferred alternative 
to be further detailed in the Final EIS.

    Issued on: February 24, 1999.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-5000 Filed 2-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-U