[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 206 (Thursday, October 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65404-65405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27095]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of Alternatives Analysis and Environmental Impact 
Statement for Commuter Corridor Between the Cities of Deland and 
Kissimmee, FL

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA); the Central Florida 
Regional Transportation Authority (locally known as LYNX); METROPLAN 
ORLANDO, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Orlando 
and Kissimmee, Florida urbanized areas; the Volusia County Metropolitan 
Planning Organization (Volusia County MPO); and the Florida Department 
of Transportation (FDOT) intend to conduct scoping meetings and prepare 
an Alternatives Analysis leading to an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) to evaluate commuter transportation improvements in the CSX 
Transportation (CSXT) freight rail corridor between the cities of 
Deland and Kissimmee, Florida in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended.
    This Notice of Intent is being published at this time to notify 
interested parties and to invite participation in the study. The study 
area will generally follow the existing CSXT Corridor from Deland, 
Florida to Kissimmee, Florida through the City of Orlando. The corridor 
analysis is necessary to explore alternative modes of north-south 
travel to Interstate 4 (I-4), currently under reconstruction and 
limited by capacity constraints.
    The following alternatives will be evaluated in the study: (1) A 
baseline alternative based on existing LYNX operations, the most recent 
LYNX Transportation Development Plan for the corridor including but not 
limited to transit preferential treatments and/or Bus Rapid Transit 
(BRT) and other relevant studies. (2) Commuter Rail with Light Rail 
Transit (LRT), and without LRT, consistent with the METROPLAN ORLANDO 
2020 Cost Feasible Long Range Plan associated bus feeder and public 
transit circulator service and the joint operations of CSXT. [Note: The 
alternative without LRT is to provide information to local decision 
makers as a part of the Long Range Plan update process and is not 
intended to be an alternative for consideration unless local decision 
makers modify the 2020 Cost Feasible Plan.] (3) A No Action Alternative 
with LRT.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to Ms. LaChant Barnett, 
Project Manager, LYNX, 445 West Amelia Street, Suite 800, Orlando, 
Florida, 32801 by December 19, 2002. Scoping Meetings: Scoping for the 
study will be developed during review of previous studies and 
consultation with affected agencies and interested persons through 
correspondence and at public meetings.

ADDRESSES: A series of four public scoping meetings will be held in the 
corridor to explain the purpose of the study, describe the process that 
will be followed, define the limits of the study area, to answer any 
questions that may exist and to receive comments, thoughts and/or 
opinions relevant to the study. Dates, times and locations of the 
scoping meetings are as follows:

Tuesday, October 29, 2002, 11:30 am-1:30 p.m., Orlando Public Library--
Albertson Conference Room--3rd Floor, 101 East Central Boulevard, 
Orlando, Florida 32801.

[[Page 65405]]

Wednesday, October 30, 2002, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Kissimmee Courthouse, 
Board of County Commissioners Boardroom, 1 Courthouse Square, Suite 
4700, Kissimmee, Florida 34741.
Wednesday, November 6, 2002, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Eastmonte Civic 
Center, 830 Magnolia Drive, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701.
Thursday, November 7, 2002, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., DeBary Public Library, 
200 North Charles R. Beall Blvd., DeBary, Florida 32713.

    An Interagency Scoping Meeting has been scheduled for:

Tuesday, November 12, 2002, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Lynx (Educational 
Leadership Center Building), 3rd Floor Board Media Room, 445 W. Amelia 
St., Suite 800, Orlando, FL 32801.

    All meeting locations are accessible to persons with disabilities. 
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons 
needing a special accommodation at these meetings because of a 
disability or physical impairment should contact Mr. Ron Jones at LYNX, 
(407) 841-2279, at least 48 hours before the meeting. If hearing 
impaired, contact LYNX at (407) 423-0787 (TDD).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LaChant Barnett, Project Manager, 
LYNX, 445 West Amelia Street, Suite 800, Orlando, Florida, 32801. You 
may also contact Derek R. Scott, Community Planner, FTA, 61 Forsyth 
Street, SW, Suite 17T50, Atlanta, GA 30303, (404) 562-3500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Notice of Intent

    This Notice of Intent to prepare an Alternatives Analysis leading 
to an Environmental Impact Statement is being published at this time to 
advise interested parties of the study and to invite their comments. 
FTA regulations and guidance in accordance with NEPA will be used in 
the analysis and preparation of the Central Florida North/South 
Commuter Corridor Study.

2. Scoping

    The FTA, LYNX, METROPLAN ORLANDO, Volusia County MPO and FDOT 
invite comments both at the public meetings listed above and in writing 
for a period of 45 days following the last public meeting. Comments 
should focus on identifying specific social, economic or environmental 
impacts to be evaluated. Comments should focus on the scope of the 
alternatives and impacts to be considered.
    Persons wishing to be placed on a mailing list to receive further 
information as the study progresses, Contact Ms. LaChant Barnett at 
LYNX, 445 West Amelia Street, Suite 800, Orlando, Florida 32801.

3. Study Area and Project Need

    The study area is an approximately 55-mile corridor extending from 
the City of Deland in Volusia County to the City of Kissimmee in 
Osceola County passing through Seminole and Orange Counties including 
the City of Orlando. A potential fixed guideway transit project would 
operate in the existing CSXT railroad corridor, as an alternative 
north-south travel mode to Interstate 4.

4. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for evaluation include:
    (1) A Baseline Alternative based on existing LYNX operations, the 
most recent LYNX Transportation Development Plan for the corridor 
including but not limited to transit preferential treatments and/or Bus 
Rapid Transit (BRT), and other relevant studies. This alternative or a 
variation exhibiting ``the best that can be done'' will serve as a 
proposal to FTA for a New Starts Baseline.
    (2) A Commuter Rail Alternative with Light Rail Transit (LRT), 
consistent with the METROPLAN ORLANDO 2020 Cost Feasible Plan; and, 
without LRT for informational purposes. This alternative will address 
the potential commuter rail service as well as other associated bus 
feeder and public transit circulator services. The alternative will 
also address the joint operations of CSXT mainline freight and 
passenger services and local freight services that operate in the 
existing CSXT corridor. The physical features of the alternative will 
also be defined.
    (3) A No Action Alternative without LRT for the opening year 2005 
and with LRT for the target years 2015 and 2025, based on the existing 
LYNX transit system plus improvements envisioned for two planning 
horizons as indicated in the Volusia County MPO and METROPLAN ORLANDO 
2020 Cost Feasible Plans and proposed changes for 2025 plans. The No 
Action Alternative is to specifically include the 20 miles of LRT from 
just north of SR 436, south to SR 528 and any bus service improvements 
during the appropriate target years. Impacts to the regional 
transportation system resulting from the No Action Alternative will be 
identified.

5. Probable Effects

    Should the study proceed from the Alternatives Analysis to an 
Environmental Impact Statement, preliminary steps will be taken to 
allow the FTA, LYNX, METROPLAN ORLANDO, Volusia County MPO and FDOT to 
evaluate the project's potential for significant adverse impacts during 
construction and operation and to identify feasible mitigation measures 
for those impacts. The specific analyses that would take place at that 
point are land use, neighborhood character, social conditions, economic 
conditions and displacement, visual and aesthetic considerations, 
historic resources, archaeological resources, transit (ridership, 
operations and maintenance), traffic, parking. Air quality, noise and 
vibration, energy, hazardous materials, water quality, natural 
resources (vegetation and wildlife), construction and construction 
impacts, cumulative impacts and environmental justice (disproportionate 
adverse impacts on minority and low-income populations).
    This study is being completed concurrent with an SDEIS for the 
north-south LRT project. This project will utilize information from the 
SDEIS, as appropriate. Information on the LRT SDEIS may be obtained 
from Jennifer Stults, LYNX Project Manager, 445 West Amelia Street, 
Suite 800, Orlando, FL 32801, (407) 841-2279, [email protected].

    Issued on: October 18, 2002.
Jerry Franklin,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-27095 Filed 10-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P