[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57692-57694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-27832]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the BART-Oakland Airport 
Connector in Oakland, California

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the San Francisco 
Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) intend to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and an Environmental Impact Report 
(EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for a 
proposed BART-Oakland Airport Connector (OAC). The transportation 
improvements are being defined in conjunction with a Major Investment 
Study (MIS), which will include the NEPA/CEQA scoping process and the 
selection of alternatives to be addressed in the joint environmental 
document. The EIS/EIR will evaluate a no build alternative, a quality 
bus alternative,

[[Page 57693]]

and various automated guideway transit technologies, as well as other 
options that surface during the scoping process. Based on the 
presentation of the proposed action, project alternatives, and breadth 
of the environmental analysis described below, please let us know of 
your agency's views regarding the scope and content of the EIS/EIR. 
Your thoughts can be offered at the scoping meeting or sent in written 
form to the contact person identified below.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments regarding the scope of 
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to BART by 
December 6, 1999. Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting is 
scheduled for Thursday, November 4, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. at the East 
Oakland Multipurpose Senior Center. See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on project scope should be sent to Mr. 
Jerry Goldberg, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, PO Box 
12688, Oakland, CA 94604-2688, Mail Stop 1KB6. The scoping meeting will 
be held at: East Oakland Multipurpose Senior Center, 9255 Edes Avenue, 
Oakland, CA, (Located at the corner of Edes & Jones Avenue). BART 
Coliseum Station to AC Transit Bus Route 45.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Donna Turchie, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region 9, (415) 744-3115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and BART invite interested individuals, organizations, and 
federal, state, and local agencies to participate in defining the 
alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS/EIR and identifying any 
significant environmental issues related to the alternatives. The 
meeting is also being advertised in The Oakland Tribune and the San 
Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Edition. An information packet describing 
the purpose of the project, the proposed alternatives, the impact areas 
to be evaluated, the citizen involvement program, and the preliminary 
project schedule will be made available at the scoping meeting. Others 
may request the scoping materials by contacting Mr. Jerry Goldberg at 
BART at (510) 464-6427. People with special needs should call BART at 
(510) 464-6300. The building used for the scoping meeting is accessible 
to persons with disabilities.
    During scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific 
environmental impacts to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives that 
are 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/EIR. If you wish to be placed on the mailing 
list to receive further information as the project continues, contact 
Mr. Jerry Goldberg at BART as previously described.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    Since the early 1970s, the concept of an improved transit linkage 
between the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport and BART has 
been explored, and various feasibility, engineering, and environmental 
studies have been undertaken. The major expansion program currently 
underway at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport signals a 
substantial increase in travel by air passengers arriving and leaving 
the airport, as well as growth in the commute pattern of employees at 
the airport. As one of the three primary airports serving the San 
Francisco Bay Area, air traffic at the Metropolitan Oakland 
International Airport is projected to increase to serve more of the 
region's air passengers and air cargo. While the major improvement and 
construction program at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport 
bears witness to the ever-growing demand to move passengers, goods, and 
service through this gateway, the ability to get to the airport via the 
automobile, airport shuttles, taxis, and vans has become ever more 
challenging and likely to encounter delays. Programmed improvements to 
enhance the regional freeways do not appear to be sufficient to 
accommodate expected growth and eliminate congestion.
    Air passengers and employees who take transit to the airport either 
ride BART to the Oakland Coliseum station and transfer to the AirBART 
bus shuttle, or they ride AC Transit (local Route 58). However, even 
with programmed improvements to remedy local congestion and increase 
capacity on the local roadways, the growth at the airport is expected 
to create periods of congestion and delay. As a result, the minimum 
running time of 12 to 15 minutes on AirBART between the Oakland 
Coliseum Station and the airport often exceeds 20 minutes and is 
projected to lengthen and, more significantly for air passengers, is 
likely to become more unpredictable.
    Because of foreseeable growth in airport use, local roadway 
congestion and delay, the demand for transit alternatives is expected 
to rise. To maintain the capacity, convenience, and reliability of 
transit services, the Proposed Action would be intended to improve 
access to the airport using direct, coordinated connections from the 
existing BART system. By reducing projected vehicle trips, the action 
would help alleviate regional roadway congestion and benefit local and 
regional air quality. The action would also be intended to improve the 
convenience and reliability of taking BART to the Metropolitan Oakland 
International Airport.
    In light of the purpose of the project and the regional and local 
need for an improved transit connection, the following preliminary 
objectives are identified for the OAC:
     Provide reliable, scheduled service between the BART 
system and the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport.
     Offer operational flexibility to reduce headways during 
periods of increased travel demand between the BART system and the 
Metropolitan Oakland International Airport.
     Offer a competitive alternative travel mode to those who 
drive to the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport by providing 
predictable connections and travel time savings.
     Provide a convenient, safe, and comfortable connection 
between the BART system and the Metropolitan Oakland International 
Airport.
     Increase BART's systemwide ridership.
     Design a cost-efficient system, recognizing BART's budget 
constraints and available funding.
    A ``seamless'' transit connection between the airport and the BART 
regional rail transit system would enable both air passengers and 
employees to access the airport without relying on an increasingly 
congested regional and local road network. To meet the above 
objectives, BART is currently examining the desirability of linking the 
95-mile, four-County rapid rail network with the airport via an 
automated transit system that would operate on its own fixed guideway, 
and to which intermediate stops could be added in the future.
    The OAC would travel a length of approximately 3 miles, with 
termini at the BART Oakland Coliseum Station and the new main terminal 
at the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. Transit vehicles 
would operate along a guideway that would be separated from street 
traffic--a separation that would allow reliable service and a travel 
time of less than 6 minutes from one terminus to the other. In the year 
of opening (currently

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proposed to be 2004), the OAC would be projected to carry about 1 
million passengers. By the year 2010, annual passengers could grow to 
about 3 million.

III. Alternatives

    Specific alternatives to the Proposed Action are expected to evolve 
during the environmental review process and in response to the public 
scoping process. At this juncture, project alternatives expected to be 
evaluated in the EIS/EIR include:
     A No Build, or No Project, Alternative that considers the 
consequences of not improving transit services between BART and the 
Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. This alternative would 
involve continuation of the existing AirBART shuttle between the BART 
Oakland Coliseum Station and the Metropolitan Oakland International 
Airport.
     A ``Quality Bus'' Alternative that considers technical and 
operational transit improvements using buses. The system is called a 
``quality bus'' alternative, in part, because it seeks to emulate the 
service levels provided by a fixed guideway rail system. Amenities 
would be provided at stations, and portions of the route could be 
constructed with exclusive transit lanes or other transit preferential 
treatments in order to bypass areas of localized traffic congestion.
     An Automated Guideway Transit Alternative (AGT) that would 
operate on its own exclusive guideway. The system would be fully 
automated, with a transfer station providing direct connection to the 
BART system at one end and a station at the Metropolitan Oakland 
International Airport at the other end. A specific technology has not 
been selected for evaluation in this EIS/EIR. A specific technology 
would be selected for implementation only if the proposed AGT project 
is approved after completion of the environmental evaluation. The term 
``Automated Guideway Transit'' encompasses a group of technologies that 
provide medium capacity transit service on an exclusive guideway. 
Examples of Automated Guideway Transit systems include people movers, 
shuttle transit, and advanced light rail transit.

IV. Probable Effects

    The purpose of the EIS/EIR is to fully disclose the social, 
economic, and environmental consequences of building and operating the 
OAC in advance of any decisions to make substantial financial or other 
commitments to its implementation. The EIS/EIR will explore the extent 
to which the project alternatives result in potentially significant 
social, economic, and environmental effects and identify appropriate 
actions to reduce or eliminate these impacts. Issues that will be 
investigated in the EIS/EIR include transportation, traffic, and 
circulation effects; land use compatibility and consistency with 
locally adopted plans; potential effects on local businesses and 
employment; disturbance to sensitive visual and cultural resources; 
geologic and hydrology effects; potential disturbance to sensitive 
wildlife and vegetation species and habitats; air and noise emissions 
from project-related construction and operation; public health and 
safety concerns related to exposure to hazardous materials; community 
service and utility demand; direct or indirect effects to public 
parklands, significant historic resources, or wildlife refuges; and 
environmental justice concerns from any disproportionate impacts of the 
project alternatives on low-income or ethnic minority neighborhoods.

V. FTA Procedures

    The Draft EIS/EIR for the BART-Oakland Airport Connector will be 
prepared in conjunction with a Major Investment Study. After its 
publication, in accordance with the Federal Transit Act, as amended, 
and FTA policy, the Draft EIS/EIR will be available for review and 
comment by interested public members and local, state, and federal 
agencies, and a public hearing will be held. Based on the Draft EIS/EIR 
and comments received, BART will identify a locally preferred 
alternative for further assessment in the Final EIS/EIR. FTA and BART 
must approve the Final EIS/EIR prior to making any decisions regarding 
the project.

    Issued on: October 19, 1999.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-27832 Filed 10-25-99; 8:45 am]
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