[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44260-44262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20952]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the Los Angeles 
Eastside Transit Corridor

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as Federal lead 
agency, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (MTA) intend to prepare a Re-Evaluation Major Investment 
Study (MIS) and a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) on 
a proposal by MTA to provide additional transit service to the Eastside 
communities within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In addition to 
NEPA, the proposed project is subject to compliance with the California 
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); therefore, a joint SEIS/Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) will be prepared.
    The Re-Evaluation MIS and the SEIS/SEIR will consider the following 
alternatives: (1) Exclusive busway alternatives between Union Station 
and Whittier/Atlantic via 1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other 
alternative arterial roadways that would be at-grade or elevated. (2) 
Light rail alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/Atlantic via 
1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial roadways that 
would be at-grade or elevated. (3) A Heavy Rail alternative from Union 
Station to Chevaz/Soto without a Little Toyko station. (4) The Heavy 
Rail LPA initial operating segment (IOS-2, 3.7 miles) from Union 
Station to 1st/Lorena as identified in the Los Angeles Eastside 
Corridor Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental 
Impact Report (FEIS/FEIR), May 1994 and the FTA Record of Decision, 
December 1994 and is the currently suspended Locally Preferred 
Alternative project. (5) The Heavy Rail Locally Preferred Alternative 
(LPA) from Union Station to Whittier/Atlantic. This 6.8-mile 
alternative consists of a heavy rail subway that would follow the 
alignment identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of 
Decision, December 1994. (6) A Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. (7) 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.
    The results of the Re-Evaluation MIS process is intended to narrow 
the alternatives to be evaluated in detail in the SEIS/SEIR. Scoping 
will be accomplished through correspondence with interested persons, 
organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies; three public 
scoping meetings; and one-inter-agency scoping meeting.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be submitted by September 10, 1999. 
Written comments should be sent to Mr. Steven Byre, Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, 
California 90012. Written comments may also be made at the public 
scoping meetings scheduled below. Scoping meeting: The public scoping 
meetings will take place on the following days and locations at the 
time indicated:
    1. Tuesday, August 24, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--Resurrection 
Parish Hall, 3324 E. Opal Street, Los Angeles, CA 90023
    2. Thursday, August 26, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--St. Alphonsus 
School Auditorium, 552 S. Amalia, Los Angeles, CA 90022
    3. Wednesday, September 2, 1999, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.--Montebello 
City Hall, City Council Chamber, 1600 West Beverly Blvd., Montebello, 
CA 90640
    A scoping meeting for governmental agencies will be held on 
Wednesday, August 25 1999, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.--Los Angeles County MTA, 1 
Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor Board Room, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
    People with special needs should contact Steven Brye at MTA at the 
address below or by calling (213) 922-3078. The selected locations are 
accessible to people with disabilities.
    The scoping meetings 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.


[[Page 44261]]


ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Steven Brye, Los 
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway 
Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012. Written comments may also be made 
at the scoping meetings. See DATES above for meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Hom, Director, Program 
Development, FTA Region IX, 201 Mission St., Suite 2210, San Francisco, 
CA 94105-1831. Phone: (415) 744-3133.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and MTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
Federal, State, and local agencies to participate in defining the 
alternatives to be evaluated in the Re-Evaluation Major Investment 
Study (MIS) and the SEIS/SEIR 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 Mr. Steven Brye, Los 
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway 
Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012, (213) 922-3078. Scoping comments 
may be made in writing at the public scoping meeting. See the DATES 
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 Re-Evaluation MIS and the Supplemental Draft 
EIS/EIR has been completed. If you wish to be placed on the mailing 
list to receive further information as the project develops, contact: 
Mr. Steven Brye, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90012, (213) 922-
3078.

II. Description of the Study Area and Project Need

    The Eastside Transit Corridor study area is a major travel corridor 
in the Los Angeles region as identified in the previous environmental 
documents referenced in the Summary above. For this Re-Evaluation MIS, 
the study area has been defined that includes that portion of East Los 
Angeles bounded by the Los Angeles Central Business District on the 
west (Alameda Avenue, Union Station), Interstate 10 (San Bernardino 
Freeway, to the I-710) and State Route 60 (Pomona Freeway, I-710 to 
605) on the north, I-605 (San Gabriel River Freeway) on the east, and 
Interstate 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) on the south. MTA and FTA are 
interested in comments as to the possible need to extend the boundaries 
of this corridor study area to consider longer range transportation 
needs. The western part of the Los Angeles Central Business District 
(to the I-110 Harbor Freeway) may be considered a part of the study 
area depending on the extent of the alternatives considered west of 
Union Station and Alameda Avenue.
    The MTA has considered extension of the Los Angeles Rail Rapid 
Transit Project (Metro Red Line) to the Eastside communities for many 
years. The most recent study led to the adoption of a Locally Preferred 
Alternative to extend the Metro Red Line as a subway for 6.8 miles into 
the Eastside communities. The initial phase (3.7 miles) of the Eastside 
heavy rail subway project continued into Final Design and right-of-way 
acquisition activities assuming the funding was available to construct 
the project, and MTA entered into a Full Funding Grant Agreement for 
the initial phase with FTA in December 1994. Subsequently, an 
evaluation of the current local funding available for the Eastside 
project and other rail projects in Los Angeles County led to a 
suspension of work in May 1998. Voters also approved a new County law 
in November 1998 that restricts the use of Proposition A and C sales 
tax revenues for ``new subways''. The MTA was directed to study viable 
and effective options for all parts of Los Angeles County, with an 
emphasis on the corridors in which rail project development efforts had 
been suspended. As a result, MTA has decided to undertake this current 
study that will involve an in-depth review of fixed guideway and other 
modal alternatives (rail and bus) that could lead to a project that is 
affordable, meets corridor mobility and related needs and goals, and is 
acceptable to the community. The Eastside community is one of the most 
transit-dependent and transit-oriented communities in Los Angeles 
County. Many of the highest MTA and Montebello Transit ridership bus 
routes are there. The commercial and shopping areas on Cesar Chavez 
Avenue, 1st Street and Whittier Boulevard are not only important to the 
community but serve the needs of a much larger area. The two colleges 
(California State University at Los Angeles and the East Los Angeles 
Community College) in the study area are important to the cultural and 
educational needs of the Eastside and require quality public transit 
accessibility.

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for initial consideration in the Re-
Evaluation Major Investment Study (see FTA Procedures below) include: 
(1) Exclusive busway alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/
Atlantic via 1st St., Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial 
roadways that would be at-grade or elevated. (2) Light rail 
alternatives between Union Station and Whittier/Atlantic via 1st St., 
Lorena, Whittier or other alternative arterial roadways that would be 
at-grade or elevated. (3) A Heavy Rail alternative from Union Station 
to Chavez/Soto without a Little Toyko station. (4) The Heavy Rail LPA 
initial operating segment (IOS-2, 3.7 miles) from Union Station to 1st/
Lorena as identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of 
Decision, December 1994 and is the currently suspended Locally 
Preferred Alternative project. (5) The Heavy Rail Locally Preferred 
Alternative (LPA) from Union Station to Whittier/Atlantic. This 6.8-
mile alternative consists of a heavy rail subway that would follow the 
alignment identified in the 1994 FEIS/FEIR and the FTA Record of 
Decision, December 1994. (6) A Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. (7) A No Build 
Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or 
facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects.
    Other alignment alternatives involving rail or bus may be developed 
in the scoping process in the early stages of the study.

IV. Probable Effects

    FTA and MTA will evaluate significant environmental, social, and 
economic impacts of the alternatives to be analyzed in the SEIS/SEIR. 
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

[[Page 44262]]

agencies. Potentially affected environmental and social resources 
proposed for analysis include land use and neighborhoods 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 adverse impacts 
will be considered.

V. FTA Procedures

    A Re-Evaluation Major Investment Study (MIS) will initially be 
prepared to evaluate several rail and bus mode and alignment options. 
The MIS/Draft SEIS/SEIR and the conceptual engineering for the project 
will be prepared simultaneously. Following FTA approval, Preliminary 
Engineering would be conducted during preparation of the Final SEIS/
SEIR. The impacts of these initial alternatives will be evaluated on a 
corridor-level basis during the Re-Evaluation/MIS and SEIS/SEIR scoping 
phase. The alternatives coming out of this initial evaluation will then 
be assessed in the Draft SEIS/SEIR. The Draft SEIS/SEIR/conceptual 
engineering process will assess the social, economic, and environmental 
impacts of the proposed alternatives at a project-level while refining 
their design to minimize and mitigate any adverse impacts. After its 
publication, the Draft SEIS/SEIR will be available for public and 
agency review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. On the 
basis of the Draft SEIS/SEIR and comments received, MTA will select a 
preferred alternative to carry forward into the Final SEIS/SEIR. The 
Final SEIS/SEIR will be based on information resulting from Preliminary 
Engineering.

    Issued On: August 9, 1999.
Leslie Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 99-20952 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M