[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15163-15165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6371]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the 
North/Southeast Corridor Project in Jacksonville, Duval County and St. 
Johns County, Florida

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an alternatives analysis/draft 
environmental impact statement (AA/DEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Jacksonville 
Transportation Authority (JTA), and the Florida Department of 
Transportation (FDOT) intend to prepare an Alternatives Analysis/Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, to 
evaluate transportation improvements within a corridor known as the 
North/Southeast Corridor in Duval and St. Johns County, Florida, within 
the metropolitan area of Jacksonville, Florida. The lead agencies will 
also seek the cooperation of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA) in conducting this review. The AA/DEIS will 
examine strategies to improve mobility and access in the corridor from 
Jacksonville International Airport through downtown Jacksonville and 
continuing south to County Road 210. The AA/DEIS will develop 
alternatives for the corridor which will (1) preserve and enhance 
mobility within the corridor; (2) support economic development 
opportunities planned within the corridor; (3) minimize adverse 
transportation related impacts to the environment; (4) improve the 
efficiency of existing facilities; (5) provide cost effective 
transportation improvements; and (6) identify and encourage land use 
development policies that promote more efficient use of infrastructure. 
The AA/DEIS will evaluate a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation 
Systems Management/Traffic Demand Management Alternative (TSM/TDM), 
several Build Alternatives, and any additional alternatives generated 
by the scoping process. The TSM/TDM Alternative will include enhanced 
bus service and facilities and technology and programs to increase the 
effectiveness of the existing transportation infrastructure to meet the 
transportation needs of the North/Southeast Corridor. The Build 
Alternatives will consider Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail 
Transit (LRT), Commuter Rail, Streets and Highways, and combinations of 
these modes, as well as other reasonable alternatives suggested through 
the scoping process. The type, location, and need for ancillary 
facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered for 
each alternative. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and 
correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general 
public, and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the 
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be submitted to Mr. 
Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit Project Manager, Jacksonville 
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, FL 32203 
by April 30, 2001.
    Scoping Meetings: Public scoping meetings for the North/Southeast 
Corridor Project AA/DEIS will be held on:

Wednesday, March 28, 2001, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 5188 Norwood Avenue, 
Gateway Mall, Room 15, Jacksonville, Florida 32206
Monday April 2, 2001, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Southeast Regional Library, 
10599 Deerwood Park Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32256

    In advance of either scoping meeting, persons with special needs 
should contact Ms. Winova Hart, Project Coordinator, Jacksonville 
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida, 
32203. Telephone: (904) 630-3181. Scoping materials will be available 
at the meetings and may also be obtained in advance of the meetings by 
contacting Mr. Edward Castellani at the address below or calling 
project staff at (904) 630-3181. Oral and written comments may be given 
at the scoping meetings. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list 
to receive further information as the project develops, contact Mr. 
Edward Castellani at the address below or call the project staff at 
(904) 630-3181.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to Mr. 
Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit Project Manager, Jacksonville 
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, FL 32203. 
Scoping meetings will be held at the locations identified above in the 
DATES section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit 
Project Manager, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Post Office 
Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida, 32203. Telephone: (904) 630-3181. You 
may also contact Mr. Derek Scott, Community Planner, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region IV, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 17T50, Atlanta, 
Georgia 30303. Telephone: (404) 562-3500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA, JTA, and FDOT invite all interested individuals and 
organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local agencies to 
participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated and 
identifying social, economic, or environmental issues related to the 
alternatives. Comments on the appropriateness of the alternatives and 
impact issues are encouraged. Specific suggestions on additional 
alternatives to be examined and issues

[[Page 15164]]

to be addressed will be considered in the development of the final 
study scope. Comments should focus on the issues and alternatives for 
analysis and not on a preference for a particular alternative. Scoping 
material will be available at the meetings or in advance of the 
meetings by contacting Mr. Edward Castellani at JTA or by calling the 
project staff, as indicated above.
    The North/Southeast Corridor Project AA/DEIS follows the completion 
of a Transportation Alternatives Study (TAS). The TAS study, completed 
in June 2000, evaluated regional travel corridors and recommended the 
sequencing of four corridors to be carried forward into more detailed 
analysis, of which the undertaking of this AA/DEIS is a part. These 
four corridors include two radial corridors, the North/Southeast and 
the East/Southwest, and two crosstown corridors, Westside Crosstown and 
Beaches Crosstown, in that order of priority.
    Following the public scoping process, public participation 
activities will include community meetings and workshops, public 
hearing(s) on the AA/DEIS, newsletters, and other outreach methods.
    Additional background information on the project, the AA/DEIS 
process, alternatives, and impact issues to be addressed by the AA/DEIS 
is contained in a document entitled ``Scoping Information Booklet.'' 
Copies of the document will be distributed to affected federal, state, 
regional, and local agencies. The document will also be available at 
the Scoping Meetings. Others may request the document from Mr. Edward 
Castellani at the address above.

II. Description of the Study Area and Transportation Needs

    The North/Southeast Corridor is an approximate 30-mile radial 
corridor connecting downtown Jacksonville with the Jacksonville 
International Airport, Moncrief, Arlington, Southpoint, and Mandarin 
areas in Duval and St. Johns County. The corridor encompasses 
geographic areas with the highest number of trips to downtown 
Jacksonville. The corridor also connects the two largest employment 
centers with key residential areas via downtown Jacksonville, projected 
to remain a primary travel shed for the region into the year 2020. The 
study area also includes the vicinity of ancillary facilities, such as 
maintenance facilities, associated with each alternative. This study 
area is generalized and considered flexible, subject both to the 
outcome of the scoping process and the locations of alternatives 
studied in detail.
    In response to the study area transportation needs, the JTA and 
FDOT, in cooperation with the First Coast Metropolitan Planning 
Organization (MPO), conducted a Transportation Alternatives Study (TAS) 
for the Jacksonville metropolitan area (Transportation Alternatives 
Study Corridors Evaluation Report, June 19, 2000). The TAS study area 
included all of Duval County and portions of northern Clay County and 
St. Johns County to the south.
    The TAS evaluated regional travel corridors and recommended 
sequencing of corridors to be carried forward into more detailed 
analysis. A significant public involvement program was implemented 
during the preparation of the TAS, including numerous stakeholder 
interviews, public meetings and community workshops. The resulting 
recommended corridors and sequence for analysis included two radial 
corridors (the North/Southeast and the East/Southwest) and two 
crosstown corridors (Westside and Beaches). The two radial corridors 
focus on travel to and through downtown Jacksonville.
    The TAS findings resulted in the first sequenced corridor, the 
North/Southeast corridor, advancing into the AA/DEIS phase. During the 
course of the AA/DEIS, a more thorough identification of corridor 
facilities will be performed and potential social, economic and 
environmental impacts will be evaluated. Additionally, corridor 
transportation needs will be further analyzed, alternative 
transportation solutions will be identified and evaluated, and 
decisions will be made on a proposed locally preferred alternative 
(LPA).

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for consideration include: (1) The No-
Build Alternative, which involves no change to the transportation 
infrastructure of roads and transit service in the corridor beyond 
already committed projects; (2) the Transportation System Management/
Traffic Demand Management (TSM/TDM) Alternative, which includes all 
elements of the No-Build Alternative and enhanced bus service and other 
technology and programs to increase the effectiveness of the existing 
transportation infrastructure in the corridor. The TSM/TDM Alternative 
is a low cost alternative that uses existing facilities to the greatest 
extent possible to meet the identified transportation needs in the 
study corridor. The TSM/TDM Alternative also provides the baseline 
against which the cost-effectiveness of capital investments in other 
alternatives can be evaluated; and (3) the Build Alternatives of 
Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Commuter 
Rail, Street and Highway, and combinations of the Build Alternatives. A 
range of specific alignments will be considered. Additional reasonable 
Build Alternatives suggested during the scoping process, including 
those involving other modes, may be considered.
    After identification and screening of an initial set of 
alternatives, a set of promising conceptual alternatives will be 
identified and will undergo a screening process to reduce them to a set 
of refined alternatives. Evaluation criteria will include consideration 
of the local goals and objectives established for the analysis, 
measures of effectiveness identified during the ongoing scoping 
process, and criteria established by FTA. A more detailed evaluation of 
refined alternatives will then be undertaken during the preparation of 
the AA/DEIS.

IV. Potential Impacts for Analysis

    FTA, JTA, and FDOT will evaluate all social, economic and 
environmental impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the AA/DEIS. 
Impacts include land use, zoning, and economic development; secondary 
development; cumulative impacts; land acquisition, displacements, and 
relocation of existing uses; historic, archaeological, and cultural 
resources; parklands and recreation areas; visual and aesthetic 
qualities; neighborhoods and communities; environmental justice; air 
quality; noise and vibration; hazardous materials; ecosystems; water 
resources; energy; construction impacts; safety and security; 
utilities; finance; and transportation impacts. The impacts will be 
evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period 
of operation of each alternative. Measures to mitigate adverse impacts 
will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

    An AA/DEIS will be prepared to document the evaluation of the 
social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. Upon 
completion, the AA/DEIS will be available for public and agency review 
and comment. Public hearing(s) on the AA/DEIS will be held within the 
study area. On the basis of the AA/DEIS and the public and agency 
comments received, a locally preferred alternative will be selected and 
described in full detail in the Final EIS.


[[Page 15165]]


    Issued on March 9, 2001.
Tom Thomson,
Acting Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-6371 Filed 3-14-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P