[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 46 (Friday, March 8, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10798-10800]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-5636]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: South Corridor Phase 2 in 
Sacramento, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Sacramento 
Regional Transit District (RT) intend to prepare a Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and a Subsequent Environmental Impact 
Report (SEIR) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality 
Act (CEQA) for a proposed light rail extension in the South Sacramento 
Corridor from Meadowview Road to Calvine Road at Auberry Road (Calvine/
Auberry).
    The proposed light rail transit mode and alignment were selected in 
1995 by the RT Board of Directors as the Locally Preferred Alternative 
(LPA) following completion in 1994 of an Alternatives Analysis/Draft 
EIS/Draft EIR (AA/DEIS/DEIR) for the South Sacramento Corridor. Seven 
transit alternatives (including bus, high-occupancy vehicle, and rail 
modes) with various alignment and station locations were evaluated in 
the AA/DEIS/DEIR). The LPA was included in the Sacramento Area Council 
of Government's Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
    The LPA (called the Low/UPRR Alignment in the AA/DEIS/DEIR) is an 
11.5-mile extension to the existing light rail system beginning in 
downtown Sacramento and extending to Calvine/Auberry. In agreement with 
FTA, RT planned to build the LPA in phases. Phase 1 is currently under 
construction and extends light rail from downtown Sacramento for 6.5 
miles to Meadowview Road, with seven stations at Broadway, 4th Avenue/
Wayne Hultgren, City College, Fruitridge, 47th Avenue, Florin, and 
Meadowview. Revenue service for Phase 1 is anticipated to begin in 
September 2003.
    The proposed Phase 2 would extend light rail approximately five 
miles from Meadowview Road to Calvine/Auberry. To date, five stations 
have been identified at Franklin Boulevard, Center Parkway (optional), 
Cosumnes River College/College Square, Power Inn Road (optional), and 
Calvine/Auberry. The proposed Phase 2 light rail extension would follow 
the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) right-of-way south from Meadowview 
Road, turn east along the proposed extension of Cosumnes River 
Boulevard, follow the Boulevard to Bruceville Road, turn south along 
Bruceville Road to serve Cosumnes River College/College Square 
development, turn east to cross State Route 99, and terminate at a 
station at Calvine/Auberry.
    The SEIS/SEIR will evaluate a No-Action Alternative, a future ``New 
Starts'' Baseline Alternative, the Phase 2 Light Rail Extension 
Alternative, and additional alternatives that emerge from the scoping 
process. Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence and 
discussions with interested persons; community organizations; federal, 
state and local agencies; and through public meetings.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered in the SEIS/SEIR must be received no later 
than May 15, 2002, and must be sent to RT at the address indicated 
below.

Scoping Meetings

    Public scoping meetings will be held on: (1) March 25, 2002 from 
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cosumnes River College Recital Hall, 8401 
Center Parkway, Sacramento, CA 95823 and (2) April 11, 2002 from 5:30 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Pannell Center located at 2450 Meadowview 
Road, Sacramento, CA 95832. The formal scoping meetings will be 
preceded by an open house (5:30 to 6:30 pm), allowing for the public to 
discuss the SEIS/SEIR work scope, process, proposed project, and 
alternatives with RT staff and consultants. A brief presentation will 
be given at 6:30 p.m., beginning the formal scoping meeting. Graphic 
presentations and scoping materials will be provided to assist the 
public in understanding the

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proposed project alternatives. The presentation will focus on the 
project purposes and alternatives and will be followed by a question 
and answer period, which will be recorded and transcribed. The open 
house will then resume until 8:00 p.m. Interested community 
organizations and the public are invited to attend. A federal, state, 
and local agency scoping meeting is scheduled for April 11, 2002, from 
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at RT's Transit Administration Building in the 
Auditorium located at 1400 29th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816.
    Opportunities will be offered during the scoping meetings for 
comments to be provided either orally during the question and answer 
period or in writing during the entire scoping comment period.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. David M. Melko, 
Policy and Program Manager, Sacramento Regional Transit District, P.O. 
Box 2110, Sacramento, CA 95816-2110. Phone: (916) 321-2992. Fax: (916) 
444-2156. To be added to the mailing list, contact Ms. Susan Willson, 
The Hoyt Company, 660 J Street, Suite 444, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 
448-2440, e-mail address: [email protected]. Please specify the 
mailing list for the South Sacramento Corridor Phase 2 SEIS/SEIR. 
People with special needs such as sign language interpretation also 
should contact Susan Willson, as indicated above. The dates and 
addresses of the scoping meetings are given in the DATES section above. 
All locations are accessible to people with disabilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a scoping information 
packet, contact Mr. David Melko, Policy and Program Manager, Sacramento 
Regional Transit District, P.O. Box 2110, Sacramento, CA 95812-2110. 
Phone: (916) 321-2992. Fax: (916) 444-2156. The Federal agency contact 
is Mr. Jerome Wiggins, Office of Planning and Program Development, FTA, 
201 Mission Street, Room 2210, San Francisco, CA 94105. Phone: (415) 
744-3115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA and RT invite all interested individuals and organizations, 
and federal, state, regional, and local agencies to provide comments on 
the scope of the project and environmental considerations. The 1994 
Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft 
Environmental Impact Report (AA/DEIS/DEIR) is available for public 
review at the Cosumnes River College Library, 8401 Center Parkway, 
Sacramento, CA 95823 and at the RT Administration Building, 1400 29th 
Street, Sacramento, CA 95816. Please contact Mr. Melko to review the 
copy at RT. Written comments on the project alternatives and potential 
impacts to be considered should also be sent to Mr. Melko.

II. Purpose and Need

    The project purpose is to improve public transit service in the 
severely congested South Corridor by providing increased transit 
capacity and faster, convenient access throughout the Sacramento 
metropolitan region.
    As stated in the 1994 AA/DEIS/DEIR, the project's goals are to: (1) 
Provide a transportation system that is safe, efficient, and 
coordinated, and that provides a balanced set of travel alternatives in 
the corridor, (2) ensure compatibility between land use policies and 
transportation policies so that the need for and amount of travel using 
automobiles is minimized, (3) provide a transportation system that 
makes the most efficient use of limited resources, (4) provide a 
transportation system that enhances and preserves the physical and 
natural environment, (5) provide a transportation system that is 
consistent with the needs and desires of the residents of the corridor, 
and that thereby maximizes community acceptance and political support.
    There is a need to alleviate severe and ever-increasing traffic 
congestion on State Route 99 (SR 99), which currently has recurring 
traffic congestion (Level of Service F) for one to two hours during 
both the morning and afternoon commute periods between Calvine and 
Florin roads. Daily traffic volumes north of Mack Road along SR 99 are 
expected to increase by 20 to 25 percent over the next 20 years. 
Between Calvine and Mack Roads, a 40 to 50 percent increase is 
expected. During the 1990s, SR 99 was widened to accommodate High 
Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes from Elk Grove Boulevard north to the 
Sacramento Central City. However, no additional improvements are 
planned for this section over the next 20 years. The projected increase 
in traffic volumes will cause congestion on SR 99 to expand to more 
hours of the day and extend southward to Elk Grove, and this congestion 
is expected to cause traffic diversions to numerous parallel arterial 
roadways in the corridor, thereby adding to anticipated congestion 
levels along these roadways.

III. Alternatives

    The SEIS/SEIR will evaluate a No-Action Alternative, a future ``New 
Starts'' Baseline Alternative (sometimes called the Transportation 
Systems Management Alternative), and the Phase 2 Light Rail Extension. 
The alternatives will be developed further during the preparation of 
the Draft SEIS/SEIR. A brief description of the alternatives is 
provided below.

No-Action Alternative

    This alternative consists of highway and transit systems existing 
as of year 2000, plus programmed improvements to the year 2025. It 
includes future conditions against which the transportation, 
environmental, and community impacts of the other alternatives are 
compared under NEPA.

Future ``New Starts'' Baseline Alternative

    The Baseline Alternative is best described as transit improvements 
lower in capital cost than the proposed ``Build'' (light rail) 
Alternative. This alternative is generally the ``best that can be 
done'' without building the rail project. By definition, this 
alternative must result in a better ratio of transit mobility measures 
compared to cost than the No-Action Alternative.
    The purpose of the Baseline Alternative is to isolate costs and 
benefits of the proposed major transit investment. At a minimum, the 
Baseline Alternative must include in the project corridor all 
reasonable cost-effective transit improvements short of investment in 
the light rail project. The New Starts Program is a federal program 
that provides funds for qualifying bus, rail and other transit-related 
projects.

Light Rail Alternative

    This alternative consists of the construction of a five-mile 
extension of the light rail system from Meadowview Road to Calvine/
Auberry and a supporting feeder bus system. To date, five stations have 
been identified at Franklin Boulevard, Center Parkway (optional), 
Cosumnes River College/College Square, Power Inn Road (optional), and 
Calvine/Auberry. The proposed extension would follow the UPRR right-of-
way south from Meadowview Road, turn east along the proposed extension 
of Cosumnes River Boulevard, follow the Boulevard to Bruceville Road, 
turn south to serve Cosumnes River College/College Square development, 
turn east to cross State Route 99, and terminate at a station at 
Calvine/Auberry. Due to funding constraints, the light rail extension 
may need to be constructed in phases to one of two possible temporary 
terminal stations: Franklin Boulevard or Cosumnes River College/College 
Square. It is assumed that these temporary

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terminal stations would be served by bus, express bus, and/or bus rapid 
transit routes and be supported by park-and-ride facilities.

IV. Probable Effects

    The purpose of the SEIS/SEIR is to fully disclose, in advance of 
any decisions to commit substantial financial or other resources, the 
environmental consequences of building and operating a major capital 
investment in the Sacramento South Corridor. The SEIS/SEIR will explore 
the extent to which study alternatives and design options result in 
environmental impacts and will discuss actions to reduce or eliminate 
such impacts. Environmental issues to be examined in the SEIS/SEIR 
include: changes to the physical environment (biological and cultural 
resources, air quality, noise/vibration, water quality, floodplains, 
geology, visual/aesthetics); changes in the social environment (land 
use, development, business and neighborhood disruptions); changes in 
traffic and pedestrian circulation; changes in transit service and 
patronage; associated changes in traffic congestion; and impacts on 
parklands and historic sites. Impacts will be identified both for the 
construction period and for the long-term operation of the 
alternatives. The proposed evaluation criteria include transportation, 
social economic, and financial measures, as required by current federal 
(NEPA) and state (CEQA) environmental laws and the implementing 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality, FTA, and the State 
Office of Planning and Research.
    The relationship of the alternatives to other major corridor 
projects will be evaluated in the SEIS/SEIR. Examples include:
     Cosumnes River Boulevard extension,
     Roadway widenings--Cosumnes River Boulevard and Bruceville 
Road,
     Floodplain/drainage/levee/floodwall improvements,
     Existing and proposed utitilies in the corridor--major 
sewer interceptors, possible Freeport Diversion water pipeline,
     Land use developments--College Square, City redevelopment 
areas, Cosumnes River College plans and improvements,
     UPRR capacity improvements, and
     Master Plan for the County Sanitation District 
Bufferlands.

To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action 
will be addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this proposed action and the SEIS/SEIR should be 
directed to the RT Program Manager as noted in the ADDRESSES section 
above.

V. FTA Procedures

    To streamline the NEPA process and to avoid duplication of effort, 
the agencies involved in the scoping process will consider the results 
of any previous planning studies or financial feasibility studies 
(e.g., Multi-Corridor Study [RT, 2001] and Sacramento Systems Planning 
Study [RT, 1991]) prepared in support of a decision by the Sacramento 
Area Council of Governments to include a particular alternative in the 
Regional Transportation Plan for Metropolitan Sacramento. Prior 
transportation planning studies may be pertinent to establishing the 
purpose of and need for the proposed action and the range of 
alternatives to be evaluated in detail in the SEIS/SEIR. The Draft 
SEIS/SEIR will be prepared simultaneously with conceptual engineering 
for the alternatives, including station and alignment options. The 
Draft SEIS/SEIR process will address the potential use of federal funds 
for the proposed action, as well as assess the social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the alternatives. Station designs and 
alignment alternatives will be refined to minimize and mitigate any 
adverse impacts. After publication, the Draft SEIS/SEIR will be 
available for public and agency review and comments, and (a) public 
hearing(s) will be held. Based on the Draft SEIS/SEIR and comments 
received, RT will further refine the preferred alternative identified 
in the Final SEIS/SEIR and will apply for FTA approval to initiate 
Preliminary Engineering of the preferred alternative.

    Issued March 4, 2002.
F. James Kenna,
Deputy Region IX Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-5636 Filed 3-7-02; 8:45 am]
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