[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 15, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33458-33459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-13471]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed 
Transit Improvement Project in Branson, Missouri

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: FTA is issuing this notice to advise agencies and the public 
that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for a 
proposed transit improvement project in Branson, MO.

DATES: Scoping Meeting: A scoping meeting is scheduled for resource 
agencies at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29, 2004 at the Branson City Hall 
Municipal Courtroom (110 West Maddux Street; Branson, MO) and will be 
followed by a public open house at the same location and date from 4 to 
7 p.m. (to be advertised locally). Oral and written comments may be 
made at these sessions. Project staff will be available at the sessions 
for informational discussion and to answer questions. These sessions 
will identify the core study-area boundary; the study schedule; the 
public involvement plan; the problem statement; the project purpose and 
need; the study goals and objectives; effectiveness measures, as well 
as identify the range of alternatives to be considered in the study. 
Input will be solicited at both sessions to focus the environmental 
investigations. The meeting location is accessible to individuals with 
disabilities. Individuals with special needs contact Cheryl Ford, 
Engineering Department; City of Branson, MO at (417) 337-8559. Comment 
Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to 
the Branson City Engineer at ADDRESSES given below by July 30, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be forwarded 
to: Joni Roeseler, Project Manager; Federal Transit Administration, 
Region VII; 901 Locust Street, Room 404; Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 
Telephone: (816) 329-3936; Email: [email protected]; or: David 
Miller, City Engineer; City of Branson; 110 West Maddux Street, Suite 
310; Branson, Missouri 65616; Telephone: (417) 337-8559; Email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: the FTA or the city of Branson 
personnel identified at the ADDRESSES given above. You can also visit 
the City of Branson website, identified as www.branson.com where a 
project page is expected to be established at the time of the scoping 
meeting. Scoping Package: 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 the Branson City Engineer 
at ADDRESSES given below. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list 
to receive additional information as the project develops, contact the 
Branson City Engineer at ADDRESSES given below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA, in cooperation with the city of Branson 
and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), will prepare an 
EIS on a proposal to address transit improvements in the city of 
Branson, MO. The EIS will include identification and evaluation of all 
reasonable multi-modal alternatives as defined under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process. This alternatives 
analysis and NEPA evaluation process is expected to result in the 
selection of a locally preferred transit alternative, which may include 
a fixed guideway alternative.
    Branson, Missouri, with a population of about 6,000, accommodates 
over seven million visitors a year. These visitors make trips to 
multiple venues (theaters, lodging, restaurants, etc.), which are 
concentrated along State Route 76. This roadway, referred to as ``The 
Strip'', offers a single lane of vehicular flow in each direction 
divided by a two-way left-turn lane. The

[[Page 33459]]

roadway is paralleled by narrow paved shoulders used as sidewalks and 
by multiple overhead utilities situated adjacent to intensive 
development. Only a handful of signalized intersections exist along the 
Strip, complicating the ability of pedestrians to get across the 
street. Options are limited to further expand the roadway network to 
address the considerable traffic congestion that remains on the Strip 
from single-occupant autos and tour buses. No public transit service is 
currently available in the corridor. The problem is expected to grow 
worse over time as venues continue to grow in popularity and as more 
venues are added.
    Transit needs will be evaluated in this corridor to address the 
congestion problems along the Strip. The core study-area boundary 
involves a roughly ten-mile-long corridor. It is generally bounded: On 
the north by the Red Route west of Roark Creek and the Missouri and 
North Arkansas Railroad east of Roark Creek; on the east by the rail 
line; on the south by parkland paralleling Lake Taneycomo and the 
Yellow Route; and on the west by the Taney/Stone County line. 
Alternatives to be considered will include: (1) Taking no action (no-
build); (2) transportation systems management; (3) transit; (4) fixed 
guideway transit (including elevated options with park-n-ride 
facilities and feeder bus/shuttle vans); and (5) other alternatives 
discovered during the scoping process.
    The social, economic, and environmental effects of the transit 
options will be evaluated in the project study. The impact areas to be 
addressed include: Land use effects; visual/aesthetic effects; 
community, business and economic impacts; traffic and parking; public 
safety; utilities effects; relocations; water quality; floodplains; 
natural systems impacts; air quality; noise and vibration; energy 
impacts; cultural and historic resources; etc. Potential environmental 
justice issues and financial considerations will also be addressed 
along with secondary, cumulative and construction impacts.
    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 regulations 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 DOT Act, will be addressed. In addition, FTA New 
Starts regulation (49 CFR part 611) will be applied, which requires the 
submission of specific information to FTA from the applicant to support 
initiating preliminary engineering in conjunction with the NEPA 
process.
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to 
private organizations and citizens who have previously expressed or are 
known to have interest in this proposal. The study will include a 
number of public involvement outreach activities. Letters setting out 
the problem statement, purpose and need, project goals and objectives, 
effectiveness measures, and describing the range of alternatives to be 
considered along with the study schedule will be sent to appropriate 
federal, state, and local agencies. A Project Oversight Committee 
(POC), providing input from a broad range of community interests, is 
being established and will be furnished with the same information.
    Comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties to 
assist in addressing the full range of alternatives and to identify any 
significant potential project impacts. In addition, a public hearing 
will be held after the Draft EIS has been circulated for public and 
agency review and comment. Comments or questions concerning the 
proposed action and the Draft EIS should be directed to the FTA at the 
address provided above.

    Issued on: June 9, 2004.
Mokhtee Ahmed,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 04-13471 Filed 6-14-04; 8:45 am]
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