[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35772-35774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12153]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for Improved Transportation Access 
Between Lower Manhattan, Jamaica Station, and John F. Kennedy 
International Airport (JFK), New York

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The FTA, in cooperation with the Metropolitan Transportation 
Authority (MTA), the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) 
and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), and supported 
by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate 
alternatives that provide improved commuter and airport access 
connecting Lower Manhattan with the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) 
Jamaica Station in Queens and with JFK International Airport. The 
project sponsors, MTA, PANYNJ, LMDC and NYCEDC, are undertaking a New 
Starts Alternatives Analysis (AA) concurrently with the EIS.
    The FTA is the lead federal agency under the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 
NEPA and the regulations implementing NEPA set forth in 23 CFR part 771 
and 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. As co-sponsors of the proposed project, 
MTA, PANYNJ, LMDC and NYCEDC will ensure that the EIS and the 
environmental review process will also satisfy the requirements of the 
New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
    The EIS will evaluate one or more Build Alternatives, a No Action 
Alternative, and a Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative. 
The scoping process for the EIS will include an analysis and screening 
of all feasible rail and non-rail based transportation alternatives 
that will improve travel in the corridor between the Lower Manhattan, 
Jamaica and JFK Airport travel hubs. The project sponsors may designate 
a ``locally preferred alternative'' either prior to the preparation of 
the Draft EIS if a clear choice emerges from the screening analysis, or 
following public circulation of the Draft EIS.
    Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence 
with interested persons, organizations, and Federal, State, regional, 
and local agencies. FTA, MTA, PANYNJ, and LMDC, supported by NYCEDC, 
seek public and interagency input on the scope of the EIS for this 
project including the alternatives to be considered and the 
environmental and community impacts to be evaluated.

DATES: The public is invited to participate in project scoping meetings 
on July 18, July 19 and July 20 at the locations identified under 
ADDRESSES. On July 18, the project sponsors will hold an information 
session at 2 p.m., followed by a formal presentation by the project 
sponsors at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. On July 19 and July 20, information 
sessions will be held at 4 p.m. and formal presentations will be made 
at 6 p.m.
    At the scoping meetings, the sponsors will display conceptual 
project information on poster boards for public review. Project staff 
will be available for informal questions and comments during the 
information sessions. Those wishing to make formal comments are 
requested to register at the meeting location before 7 p.m. A Scoping 
Document has been prepared and will be available at the scoping 
meetings or by contacting the Project Manager identified under 
ADDRESSES.
    Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to the Mr. 
Chris Bastian, MTA Project Manager, by September 15th, 2005 at the 
address given under ADDRESSES.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meetings will be held:
     Monday, July 18th, 2005 at 2 Broadway, 20th Floor 
Conference Room, Manhattan (at Bowling Green)
     Tuesday, July 19th, 2005 at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 
Joralemon Street, Brooklyn
     Wednesday, July 20th, 2005 at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd, 
York College of the City University of New York, Jamaica Queens
    The scoping meeting sites are accessible to mobility-impaired 
people and interpreter services will be provided for hearing-impaired 
upon request. Written comments will be taken at the meeting or may be 
sent to the

[[Page 35773]]

following address thru September 15, 2005: Mr. Chris Bastian, Project 
Manager, MTA, 347 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10017.
    The scoping document may also be requested by writing to the 
Project Manager at the above address or by calling (212) 266-8363. 
Requests to be placed on the project mailing list may also be made by 
calling this number or by writing to the Project Manager.
    Subsequent opportunities for public involvement will be announced 
on the Internet, by mail, and through other appropriate mechanisms, and 
will be conducted throughout the study area. Additional project 
information may be obtained from the following Web sites:
     MTA (http://www.mta.info; click ``MTA Home'' then 
``Planning Studies'' and ``Lower Manhattan-Jamaica/JFK Transportation 
Study'')
     LMDC (http://www.renewnyc.com)
     PANYNJ (http://www.panynj.gov)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Nancy Danzig, AICP, Community 
Planner, Federal Transit Administration, 212-668-2180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Scoping

    FTA, MTA, PANYNJ, and LMDC with NYCEDC invite interested 
individuals, organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies to 
provide comments on the scope of the EIS. During the scoping process, 
comments should focus on identifying specific travel, economic, or 
environmental needs to be evaluated, and on proposing alternatives that 
address those needs, including alternatives that may be less costly or 
have fewer environmental impacts while achieving similar transportation 
objectives. To assist interested parties in formulating their comments, 
a scoping document has been prepared and is available on the MTA, 
PANYNJ and LMDC Web sites noted above, or upon request from the Project 
Manager identified in ADDRESSES above. The scoping document includes 
the project's purpose and need, goals and objectives, information about 
prior studies, a preliminary list of alternatives, environmental areas 
that will be addressed during the course of the study, and an outline 
of the ongoing public participation program.

II. Description of Project Area

    The project area is roughly defined by a fourteen mile travel 
corridor between the transportation hubs of Lower Manhattan, the 
Jamaica Long Island Railroad (LIRR)/AirTrain JFK complex in Queens and 
John F. Kennedy International Airport. This area is served by the Long 
Island Rail Road Atlantic Branch between Jamaica, Queens and MTA's 
Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn; the Atlantic Avenue arterial road; 
NYCT's Fulton Street Subway line on which the A train connects to the 
AirTrain JFK at Howard Beach; and multiple NYCT subway lines connecting 
Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Intermediate communities between the 
eastern and western hubs include the Downtown Brooklyn Business 
District, Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Woodhaven, 
Ozone Park and Howard Beach. In addition, commuters from communities in 
Eastern Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties travel through the 
Jamaica hub on their way to Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.

III. Problem Identification

    The Lower Manhattan Central Business District (Manhattan south of 
Canal Street) is the nation's third largest business district, and the 
center of the international financial industry. The area is served by 
multiple subway lines; the PATH rail system from New Jersey; passenger 
ferry services; and local and express buses. However, rail access from 
Eastern Queens and the Long Island suburbs requires multiple modes, 
including either: (a) A transfer at the Jamaica LIRR station to 
Atlantic Branch trains and then an additional transfer at the LIRR 
Atlantic Terminal to a subway connecting to Lower Manhattan; (b) a long 
subway trip from Jamaica (via J Z subway lines) to Lower Manhattan; or 
(c) continuing travel via the LIRR to Midtown Manhattan's Penn Station 
and then a southbound connection on heavily used subway lines (either 
the 1, 2, 3, A or C train) to Lower Manhattan.
    Approximately three miles south of the Jamaica LIRR station (and 
about 18 miles southeast of Lower Manhattan) is JFK International 
Airport, the metropolitan area's primary international air gateway, and 
a growing market for domestic air travel. At the present time, a one-
seat ride to JFK International Airport from Lower Manhattan is limited 
to private cars, taxis and ``black cars,'', and shuttle vans, while 
rail access is provided via the NYC subway system (A train) which makes 
several intermediate stops en-route to Howard Beach, where a transfer 
is required to the Port Authority's AirTrain JFK. Additional access to 
JFK International Airport is possible from Midtown Manhattan by either 
a) taking a subway from Lower Manhattan to Penn Station, then taking a 
LIRR train to Jamaica, and finally transferring to the AirTrain JFK, or 
b) taking a subway (4 or 5) to Grand Central Terminal, then private bus 
service to JFK International Airport via the city's crowded highway 
system.
    Lower Manhattan's transportation system was severely impaired by 
the attacks of September 11, 2001. The World Trade Center PATH Terminal 
and NYCT 1 9 Cortlandt Street Station were destroyed. PATH service to 
Lower Manhattan was interrupted and subway service disrupted. The 
attacks also accentuated significant inefficiencies in the area's 
extensive transportation infrastructure, largely constructed prior to 
World War I, which jeopardize the area's sustainability as a central 
business district (CBD), emerging residential area, and key tourist 
destination.

IV. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action

    The purpose of the proposed Lower Manhattan and Jamaica/JFK 
International Airport Transportation Project is to improve mobility 
among the three hubs for both commuters and air travelers by reducing 
travel times, eliminating or reducing transfers, increasing 
reliability, providing additional capacity and service flexibility into 
Lower Manhattan from the east, and reducing congestion on other 
transportation services currently used by travelers in the corridor.
    As a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center complex in 
2001, elected officials and the Downtown business community have 
identified both improvements in commuter access between Jamaica, 
Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan and improvements in access to JFK 
International Airport as key elements needed to support the Lower 
Manhattan area's economic recovery and its ability to compete with 
other world economic centers such as London, Frankfurt and Tokyo.

V. Alternatives

    The project sponsors will follow the Alternatives Analysis (AA) 
procedures of FTA's Section 5309 New Starts process. The alternatives 
to be considered during the AA phase will address the defined corridor 
problem and study goals and objectives. Through evaluation and 
screening of conceptual alternatives, the project sponsors will narrow 
the range of viable alternatives to a manageable number to carry 
forward into a detailed analysis in the EIS. The EIS will evaluate the 
following alternatives:
     Build Alternative(s), which will include any rail or non-
rail alternative that survives the scoping and New Starts Alternatives 
Analysis;

[[Page 35774]]

     Future No Action Alternative, which will include the 
existing system and planned transportation improvements (other than the 
proposed project) included in the official metropolitan long-range 
transportation plan; and
     Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative, which 
will attempt to satisfy the project's purpose and need with lower cost 
improvements beyond those in the long-range plan, such as more 
effective operating practices, increased rolling stock, and station 
improvements.
    The project sponsors may designate a ``locally preferred 
alternative'' either prior to the preparation of the Draft EIS or 
following public circulation and comment on the Draft EIS.
    The New Starts Alternatives Analysis for this project will draw 
upon previous planning studies including the Lower Manhattan Airport 
and Commuter Access Alternatives Analysis, completed in 2004 (the 
results of which are available on the LMDC Web site) and the MTA's 
Lower Manhattan Access Alternatives Study, completed in 2001 (the 
results of which are available upon request from the MTA). The 2004 
study recommended two rail alternatives for further study in the EIS 
phase. Both alternatives use the same alignment, the LIRR Atlantic 
Branch, from Jamaica to Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn, with 
AirTrain JFK service connecting to the Atlantic Branch at Jamaica. Both 
alternatives, in order to access Lower Manhattan, break out of the LIRR 
Atlantic Branch tunnel east of the LIRR/NYCT Atlantic Terminal. One 
alternative would connect to a new rail tunnel under the East River 
into Lower Manhattan and the other would connect to the existing 
Montague Street Tunnel, currently used for NYCT subway service (M R 
subway lines).

VI. Potential Effects

    Upon completion, the proposed transportation improvements are 
anticipated to reduce travel times, eliminate or reduce transfers, 
improve service reliability, provide additional capacity and service 
flexibility into Lower Manhattan from the east, and reduce congestion 
on other transit lines currently used by travelers in the corridor.
    Impacts that may occur as a result of the improvements will be 
evaluated in the EIS. The project sponsors have identified several 
areas of concern, some of which will be temporary during the 
construction phase, including: Property acquisition and displacement; 
historic, archaeological, and cultural resources; wetlands and water 
quality; visual and aesthetic qualities; air quality; noise and 
vibration; safety and security; utilities; and transportation impacts.
    The EIS will describe the methodology used to assess impacts; 
identify the affected environment; and identify and adopt measures for 
mitigating adverse impacts, if any. Principles of environmental 
construction management, resource protection and mitigation measures, 
such as NYCT's Green Design for the Environment Guidelines (2002) and 
LIRR's Sustainable Design/Design for the Environment `` Generic 
Guidelines (March 2003), developed pursuant to New York State Executive 
Order No. 111 ``Green and Clean,'' will be considered for incorporation 
into the selected Alternative.

VII. FTA Procedures

    During the NEPA process, FTA will comply with the requirements of 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of 
the Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 303), the conformity 
requirements of the Clean Air Act, Executive Order 12898 on 
Environmental Justice and, to the maximum extent practicable, all other 
applicable federal environmental statutes, regulations, and executive 
orders, in accordance with FTA policy and regulations.
    A Draft EIS will be prepared and made available for public and 
agency review and comment. One or more public hearings will be held on 
the Draft EIS. On the basis of the AA or Draft EIS and the public and 
agency comments thereon, a locally preferred alternative will be 
selected and will be fully described and further developed in the Final 
EIS.

    Issued on: June 15, 2005.
Letitia Thompson,
Regional Administrator, Region II.
[FR Doc. 05-12153 Filed 6-20-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P