[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1266-1268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-557]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement on Transit 
Improvements in the Uptown-West Loop Corridor Located in Uptown and 
Along the West Loop (IH-610 West) in Houston, Harris County, Texas

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with 
the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to evaluate transportation 
improvements in the Houston metropolitan area (Harris County).
    The EIS will evaluate the following transit alternatives: a No 
Build Alternative, consisting of already planned improvements to the 
corridor, and a Build Alternative, consisting of a wide range of 
transit improvements. The type, location, and need for ancillary 
facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered for 
each alternative. Scoping will be accomplished with a series of public 
meetings, and through correspondence with interested persons, 
organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies.
    Depending on the outcome of the scoping process and the analysis of 
a wide range of transit alternatives, a Locally Preferred Investment 
Strategy (LPIS) will be selected and evaluated in the EIS. The EIS will 
evaluate the potential impacts of the selected investment strategy (the 
Build Alternative) and a No Build Alternative.
    The sequence of events for the planning and development for this

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project include the following major milestones:
     Scoping Process--early opportunity for public input to the 
study scope and project alternatives. Scoping will be accomplished with 
a series of public meetings and through correspondence with interested 
persons, organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies.
     Planning Studies--evaluation of proposed improvement 
alternatives, early consideration of environmental factors, concluding 
with the selection of a LPIS.
     Conceptual Engineering and Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS)--conceptual definition of the alternatives including 
their physical features and potential impacts, consideration of 
mitigation measures, preparation and circulation of the Draft EIS, and 
public hearing(s).
     Preliminary Engineering and Final EIS--detailed definition 
of the proposed alternative's physical features, assessment of 
potential impacts, development of selected mitigation measures, 
responses to comments offered during the Draft EIS comment period, and 
preparation of the Final EIS.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts considered should be sent to the Metropolitan Transit 
Authority of Harris County by March 15, 2002. See ADDRESSES below.
    Scoping Meetings: Public Scoping meetings for the Uptown-West Loop 
Corridor will be held on February 12, 2002 and February 27, 2002. See 
ADDRESSES below for meeting times and locations.
    All scoping meetings will be held in wheelchair-accessible 
locations. Any person who requires language interpretation or special 
communication accommodations is encouraged to contact the project's 
public participation coordinator at 713-739-6049 at least 72 hours 
prior to the meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to meet your 
needs. Scoping information material will be available at the meetings 
and may also be obtained in advance of the meetings by contacting the 
public participation coordination or by contacting METRO at the address 
or e-mail identified in ADDRESSES below. Oral and written comments may 
be given at the scoping meetings. A court reporter will record all 
comments.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to METRO Mobility 2025, Room 
21034, P.O. Box 61429, Houston, Texas 77208-1429. E-mail: [email protected]. Scoping meetings will be held at the following 
locations:

1. February 12, 2001, J.W. Marriott Hotel, Exhibition Room, 5150 
Westheimer, Houston, Texas 77077, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Open House, 6-
8:30 p.m. Open House.
2. February 27, 2002, Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons 
Lane--2nd Floor, Houston, Texas 77027, 3-5 p.m. Agency Scoping Meeting, 
Conference Room A, 5-7 p.m. Open House, Conference Room B.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jesse Balleza, Community Planner, 
FTA, Region VI, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102, Telephone 
(817) 978-0550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    FTA and METRO 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. During 
scoping, comments should focus on identifying specific social, 
economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated, and suggesting 
alternatives that may be less costly or have less environmental 
impacts, but achieve similar objectives. Comments during scoping 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 through the planning 
process and during the comment period for the Alternatives Analysis 
Report.
    Prior to initiating the EIS, planning studies will identify a LPIS 
that includes transit improvements. Interested individuals, 
organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies are invited to 
participate in refining the purpose, alternatives, schedule, and 
analysis approach, as well as participate in the active public 
involvement program for throughout the planning process and project 
implementation. The public is invited to comment on corridor needs and 
alternatives to be addressed; modes and technologies to be evaluated; 
alignments and station locations; the environmental, social, and 
economic impacts to be analyzed; and the evaluation approach to be used 
to select a LPIS. The scoping process will provide input to the process 
to be used for the evaluation of alternatives during the planning 
process and the early identification of environmental issues to be 
considered during the planning studies and in the EIS.
    Scoping activities are being initiated at the outset of the 
planning studies, in advance of the EIS, to maximize the opportunity 
for public involvement in the consideration of alternatives and 
reaching decisions about the transportation investments that will be 
advanced into the EIS phase of project development.

II. Description of the Project Area and Need

    The study area for the Uptown-West Loop Corridor is located on the 
near west side of the City of Houston. The study area extends 
approximately four miles on either side of the West Loop from the Katy 
Freeway (IH-10) on the north to the Southwest Freeway (U.S. 59) on the 
south. The West Loop is the primary north-south transportation facility 
in the corridor providing access to the Uptown/Galleria area, major 
employment, residential, retail and activity centers, and to the City 
of Bellaire. The freeway facility, with an average right-of-way width 
of 350 feet, connects with other portions of the IH-610 loop, such as 
the North Loop and the South Loop, that circle Houston. In addition, 
the West Loop provides a strategic connection to other regional freeway 
corridors including the Northwest Freeway (U.S. 290), the Katy Freeway, 
and the Southwest Freeway. The study area also includes METRO transit 
center facilities on the north and south ends of the corridor. There 
are a variety of travel markets in the study that include home-to-work 
trips, and non-home base trips such as business and visitor trips, and 
recreational-entertainment trips.
    Substantial new development and redevelopment is occurring 
throughout the corridor. However, future development and potential 
redevelopment could be restricted due to limits on roadway and transit 
system capacity and parking facilities. Improved transit service, 
connectivity, access, and capacity are seen as essential to support and 
enhance economic development activity and help provide a framework for 
creating a livable and sustainable community.
    In general, the following needs and problems have been identified 
as detrimental to the continued success of the Uptown-West Loop 
Corridor:
    (1) Exclusive transit corridor to improve reliability and travel 
time;
    (2) Pervasive congestion at key intersections;
    (3) Service to distinct travel markets
    a. Line-haul services on the Katy Freeway, West Loop, Westpark Toll 
Road, and Southwest Freeway
    b. Collection and distribution services for Uptown Houston;

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    (4) Poor pedestrian environment and linkages;
    (5) Conservation of Memorial Park and other sensitive land uses;
    (6) Air and noise pollution;
    (7) Visual impacts of potential transportation improvements.
    The growth in population and employment in the corridor is 
significantly large in both relative and absolute numbers. Previous 
study projections indicate that patronage to retail/entertainment 
venues in the corridor will increase as well. The projected consequence 
of this growth is higher traffic volumes throughout local streets and 
the West Loop throughout the study area. Traffic congestion in the 
study area will increase in both severity and duration as the peak 
period ``spreads'' to encompass earlier and later hours. Travel on 
parallel arterials will increase proportionately as congestion on the 
West Loop causes a higher fraction of travel to use alternative routes. 
Restricted ingress and egress to the Uptown-West Loop area and 
servicing arterials has contributed to the unreliability of transit 
services and will deteriorate if not effectively addressed.

III. Alternatives

    In accordance with NEPA, a public scoping process will be initiated 
to identify corridor needs and alternatives. The scoping process will 
provide the basis for the evaluation of alternatives as part of the 
planning studies, and the selection of a LPIS and implementation 
program. The planning studies will consider a variety of transit 
options in the corridor based on input received during the scoping 
process. It is expected that the LPIS will be a combination of one or 
more alternative options identified. Subsequent to the selection of the 
LPIS, the selected alternatives will be refined and documented in the 
EIS. At a minimum, the alternatives to be considered in the planning 
studies include:
     No Build Alternative;
     Bus Rapid Transit;
     HOV system improvements; and
     Light Rail Transit (LRT).
    Additional reasonable Build Alternatives suggested during the 
scoping process, including those involving other modes, may be 
considered.

IV. Probable Effects and Potential Impacts for Analysis

    FTA and METRO will evaluate all social, economic and environmental 
impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Impacts may 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

    In accordance with FTA policy, all federal laws, regulations and 
executive orders affecting project development, including but not 
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and 
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the 
1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, section 404 of the Clean Water Act, 
Executive Order 12898 regarding environmental justice, the National 
Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and section 4(f) 
of the Department of Transportation Act, will be addressed to the 
maximum extent practicable during the NEPA process.

    Issued on: January 2, 2002.
Robert C. Patrick,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region VI, Fort 
Worth, Texas.
[FR Doc. 02-557 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
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