[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 178 (Thursday, September 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47722-47724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-23027]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: St. Charles, Jefferson and 
Orleans Parishes, Louisiana Agencies: Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT)

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental documents, including 
an environmental impact statement for highway component and an 
environmental impact statement for transit rail component.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal 
Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Louisiana 
Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD) and the Regional 
Planning Commission (RPC) are issuing this notice to advise interested 
agencies and the public that, in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) will be prepared for the following projects in the East-West 
Corridor in St. Charles, Jefferson and Orleans Parishes in Louisiana:
    1. A rail transit connector between the New Orleans Central 
Business District (CBD) and the Louis Armstrong New Orleans 
International Airport (LANOIA); and
    2. Extending the existing Earhart Expressway from its terminus at 
LA 3154 (Dickory Avenue) to the vicinity of Interstate 310.
    These proposed transportation projects were identified in a Major 
Investment Study (MIS) completed in 1999. In addition to the proposed 
improvements identified as the Locally Preferred Alternative in the 
MIS, the No-Build Alternative and new alternatives generated through 
the Scoping Process will be evaluated. Scoping will be accomplished 
through coordination with interested persons, organizations and 
federal, state and local agencies. Four (4) public scoping meetings and 
one (1) interagency scoping meeting are currently planned.
    Based on the results of the Scoping Process, FHWA and FTA will make 
the following determinations regarding the preparation of environmental 
documentation under NEPA:
    1. Identification of environmental issues to be addressed;
    2. Identification of appropriate alternatives for evaluation;
    3. How cumulative environmental effects of the projects will be 
addressed; and
    4. The need for a separate Environmental Impact Statement for each 
of the proposed projects, or for a single, combined Environmental 
Impact Statement for both projects.
    FHWA and FTA currently propose to proceed with the preparation of 
separate environmental documents for each project. FHWA is serving as 
the federal lead agency for the extension of the existing Earhart 
Expressway. FTA is serving as the federal lead agency for the rail 
transit connector between the CBD and the LANOIA. At the conclusion of 
the Scoping Process, based on the agency and public comment received, 
FHWA and FTA will either continue with the preparation of two 
individual Environmental Impact Statements, will proceed with a single 
Environmental Impact Statement for both projects, or may proceed with 
an Environmental Assessment for either of the projects, if appropriate.

DATES: Interagency and public scoping and information meetings will be 
held during the week of October 8th.
    Interagency Scoping Meeting: Wednesday, October 10th, 2001 from 10 
a.m. to noon, at the Regional Planning Commission's 21st Floor 
Conference Room at 1340 Poydras Street in New Orleans, Louisiana 70122.
    Public Scoping Meetings: Wednesday, October 10th, 2001 from 7 p.m. 
to 9 p.m. at Xavier University Auditorium in the Xavier University 
Administration Building at 1 Drexel Drive in New Orleans, Louisiana 
70125; Thursday, October 11th, 2001 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Joseph 
S. Yenni Building Council Chambers at 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard in 
Jefferson, Louisiana 70123; Saturday, October 13th, 2001 from 9 a.m. to 
11 a.m. at the R.J. Bunche Middle School Gymnasium at 8101 Simon Street 
in Metairie, Louisiana 70003; and Saturday, October 13th, 2001 from 11 
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Bunche Middle School Gymnasium at 8101 Simon 
Street in Metairie, Louisiana 70003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent by November 1, 
2001, to either Mr. William Farr, Programs Operations Manager, Federal 
Highway Administration, 5304 Flanders Drive, Suite A, Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana 70808, or Mr. John Sweek, Community Planner, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region VI, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, Texas, 76102. 
See DATES above for addresses of scoping meeting locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Farr, Programs Operations 
Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 5304 Flanders Drive, Suite A, 
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, Telephone: (225) 757-7600; or Mr. John 
Sweek, Community Planner, Federal Transit Administration, Region VI, 
819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, Texas, 76102, Telephone: (817) 978-0571.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FHWA and FTA will hold a total of four public scoping meetings 
on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, October 10, 11, and 13. Two 
evening public scoping meetings will be held between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. 
on Wednesday and Thursday, October 10 and 11, in the Xavier University 
Auditorium in New Orleans and Joseph

[[Page 47723]]

S. Yenni Building Council Chambers in Jefferson, respectively on these 
dates. Two morning public scoping meeting sessions will be held on 
Saturday, October 13, at 9 a.m. and at 11 a.m. in the R.J. Bunch Middle 
School Gymnasium in Metairie. An Open House Session will be made 
available in the R.J. Bunch Middle School Gymnasium from 1 p.m until 3 
p.m., following the public scoping meeting sessions. All meeting 
locations are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Individuals 
with special needs should contact the project's public participation 
coordinator at 504-488-6100.
    Interested individuals, organizations, and public agencies are 
invited to attend the scoping meetings and participate in identifying 
any important environmental issues related to the proposed alternatives 
and suggesting alternatives which are more economical or which have 
less environmental effects while achieving similar transportation 
objectives. An information packet, referred to as the Scoping Booklet, 
will be distributed to all public agencies and interested individuals 
and will be available at the meetings. Others may request the Scoping 
Booklet by contacting Mr. William Farr or Mr. John Sweek at the 
addresses listed above in ADDRESSES. Comments regarding preferences for 
a particular alternative should be reserved for the comment period for 
the draft environmental documentation. Comments during the scoping 
period should focus on the issues and alternative for analysis and not 
on a preference for a particular alternative.
    Scoping comments may be made a the scoping meetings or directed to 
Mr. William Farr on Mr. John Sweek at the addresses listed above in 
ADDRESSES by November 1, 2001.

II. Description of the Project Area and Need

    The East-West Corridor is located in St. Charles, Jefferson and 
Orleans Parishes, Louisiana. It extends approximately 17 miles from the 
vicinity of I-310 in St. Charles Parish to the New Orleans CBD, serving 
an area that contains more than one million residents, including 
several neighborhoods with large numbers of transit-dependent 
residents. Major destinations within the Corridor include LANOIA, 
Louisiana Technical College, Zephyr Stadium, Elmwood Industrial Area, 
and Xavier University. Key destinations in the CBD include the 
Louisiana Superdome, the Ernest Morial Convention Center, the New 
Orleans Arena, and the New Orleans Regional Medical Center. The 
corridor is currently served by taxi service and one bus transit route 
from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Jefferson 
Parish to the New Orleans CBD.
    The East-West Corridor has the highest volume of travel demand and 
bus ridership within the New Orleans metropolitan area. The major east-
west arteries (I-10 and US 61) have serious congestion, and Earhart 
Expressway abruptly ends at LA 3154 (Dickory Avenue), a minor arterial 
at its western terminus, rendering it ineffective as a viable east-west 
route. The existing bus route is not sufficient to address the mobility 
needs in the corridor and the large numbers of transit-dependent riders 
and commuters. As a result, travelers in the East-West Corridor often 
experience excessive travel times and delay. These travel times are 
expected to increase as travel demand increases in the East-West 
Corridor.
    A Major Investment Study (MIS) completed in 1999 for the RPC 
identified a (LPA) locally preferred alternative with two primary 
components: A rail transit system linking the LANOIA to downtown New 
Orleans; and (2) extending LA Route 3139, also known as Earhart 
Expressway, west to the vicinity of Interstate 310. Both of the 
proposed projects were deemed necessary to alleviate congestion within 
the corridor. However, each project has its own unique objectives.
    The objectives of the proposed rail transit component include:
     Address the increasing mobility needs within the corridor
     Increase and improve mobility choice for New Orleans, East 
Jefferson parish, and River Parishes commuters
     Increase access to and from major regional trip generators 
and attractions
     Promote compatible land use
     Increase and improve the mobility access opportunities to 
disadvantaged populations
     Promote economic development by increasing labor 
productivity through travel efficiencies
     Decrease local dependence on automobiles and reduce energy 
usage
     Provide flexibility in future regional planning transit 
efforts
     Improve access to and from the airport
    The objectives of the proposed roadway expansion are to:
     Improve East-West Corridor system linkage for roadway 
passenger traffic
     Improve the efficiency of commercial vehicle operations 
within the New Orleans metro region
     Promote economic development and associated with goods 
movement
     Improve efficiency in modal relationships in the region by 
improving bus transit times, shuttle vehicle transit times, and overall 
travel costs
     Improving access to transit park-n-ride

III. Alternatives

    It is anticipated that several alternatives will be identified 
during the scoping and environmental analysis processes. However, at 
this time, alternatives to be considered for the rail transit include:
     A ``no-build'' alternative. There will be no changes in 
transportation services or facilities in the Corridor beyond already 
committed projects. This includes only those transit improvements 
defined in the appropriate agencies' Long Range Transportation Plans 
and Transit Development Plans for which funding has been committed.
     Transportation Systems Management Alternative--Low cost 
infrastructure and bus transit improvements, Intelligent Transportation 
Systems (ITS), bus operations, and Transportation Systems Management 
improvements will be included in this alternative.
     The construction of a rail transit system. The eastern 
terminus of the proposed rail transit alternative would be the CBD in 
Orleans Parish and the western terminus would be the LANOIA in 
Jefferson Parish. It would follow the abandoned Kansas City Southern 
Railroad for approximately 5 miles, where it would connect to the rail 
owned by the Union Passenger Terminal via right-of-way owned by 
Canadian National Illinois Central Railroad and follow this existing 
alignment or some other alignment to the CBD. Light rail transit (LRT) 
and diesel multiple units (DMU), among others will be considered. This 
alternative would also include all facilities associated with the 
construction and operations of a light rail transit line, including 
right of way, structures, track, stations, park-and-ride lots, storage, 
and maintenance facilities as well as respective rail and bus operating 
plans.
    Alternatives to be considered for Earhart Expressway include:
     A ``no-build'' alternative. Existing conditions will 
remain as they are. Only those improvements that have already been 
approved will be implemented.
     Transportation Systems Management Improvements-Low cost 
infrastructure and traffic management improvements, including 
signalization, ITS, and similar.
     Improvement alternatives including the upgrade of US 61 
(Airline Drive) or

[[Page 47724]]

the extension of LA 3139 (Earhart Expressway) from LA 3154 (Dickory 
Avenue) would be considered. The road expansion will follow a westward 
alignment and terminate in the vicinity of I-310. The approximate 
length of the proposed road component is 10 miles.

IV. Probable Effects

    The environmental documents will be prepared in accordance with the 
1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Accordingly, all 
potential impacts to the physical, natural, and socioeconomic 
environments will be evaluated. Concerns to be addressed in NEPA 
Documents include: aesthetics/visual resources, property value effects, 
local traffic and travel patterns, land use, noise and vibration, 
wetlands, construction impacts, Environmental Justice/Title VI issues, 
and cumulative impacts of concurrent and consecutive implementation of 
both alternatives.

V. Procedures

    In accordance with the regulations and guidance by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ), as well as 23 CFR part 450 and 23 
policies, the NEPA Documents will include an evaluation of the social, 
economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The NEPA 
Documents will also comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act 
Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) and with Executive Order 12898 on 
Environmental Justice. The NEPA Documents will also meet the 
requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 
transportation conformity regulations (40 CFR part 93 and 23 CFR 
450.322(b)(8)). After their publication, the draft NEPA Documents will 
be available for public agency review and comment.
    The Final NEPA Documents will consider the public and agency 
comments received during the public and agency circulation of the NEPA 
Documents and will identify the preferred alternatives. Opportunity for 
additional public comment will be provided throughout all phases of the 
project development.

    Issued on: September 5, 2001.
William A. Sussman,
Division Administrator, Federal Highway Administration.
[FR Doc. 01-23027 Filed 9-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M