[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61687-61689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21237]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of Environmental Impact Statement for the Downtown 
Birmingham/University of Alabama Birmingham Activity Centers (a.k.a. 
In-town Transit Partnership Project)

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Alternatives Analysis (AA) and 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Regional Planning 
Commission of Greater Birmingham are conducting an alternatives 
analysis and preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for transit improvements in the Downtown Birmingham/University of 
Alabama Birmingham Activity Centers. The FTA is the lead federal agency 
and the DEIS will be prepared in accordance with National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and the applicable regulations

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for implementing NEPA, as set forth in 23 CFR part 771 and 40 CFR parts 
1500-1508, as well as applicable laws and regulations including section 
4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 1966, the Clean Air 
Act, and Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice.
    The project will consider the following alternatives: (1) A No-
Build Alternative consisting of improvements included in the Birmingham 
MPO 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan; (2) Transportation System 
Management (TSM) Alternative that includes all reasonable cost-
effective transit service improvements in the study area short of the 
major investment in a New starts project; (3) Build Alternative: Bus 
Rapid Transit (BRT) project using rubber tired vehicles operating 
either in mixed traffic or along an exclusive right-of-way; and (4) 
Build Alternative: Streetcar using light rail technology operating 
along tracks embedded in the pavement operating in either mixed traffic 
or along an exclusive right-of-way. The type, location, and need for 
ancillary facilities such as maintenance facilities will also be 
considered for each alternative. In addition, alternatives that are 
identified during the scoping process will be evaluated in the AA.
    Scoping will be accomplished through correspondence and discussions 
with interested persons; organizations; and Federal, State, and local 
agencies; and through public and agency meetings. Depending on the 
outcome of the scoping process and the analysis of a range of transit 
alternatives in the DEIS, a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) will be 
selected and addressed in the Final EIS (FEIS). The FEIS will address 
the potential impacts of the selected investment strategy and a No-
Build Alternative.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered in the AA/DEIS must be received no later 
than January 20, 2006 and must be sent to the Regional Planning 
Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPCGB) at the address indicated 
below.
    Scoping Meeting Date: Public Scoping Meetings will be held on 
Monday and Tuesday December 5 and 6, 2005 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. each 
day at the Regional Center for Planning and Design 1st Floor Conference 
Room located at the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, 
1731 First Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203. Presentation boards 
depicting the project concept will be available for review at the 
meeting location. Formal presentations will be made at 2 p.m. and 6 
p.m. each day. This will be followed by the opportunity for the public 
to make comments on the scope of the EIS. Regional Planning Commission 
of Greater Birmingham staff will be available for informal questions 
and comments throughout the duration of each scoping meeting. Oral and 
written comments may be given at the scoping meeting; a stenographer 
will record oral comments. Persons with disabilities or other special 
needs such as sign language interpretation should contact Darrell 
Howard at the RPCGB (see ADDRESSES section below) 72 hours prior to the 
scoping meeting for special arrangements. The location is accessible to 
people with disabilities.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to: Mr. 
Darrell Howard, Principal Transportation Planner, Regional Planning 
Commission of Greater Birmingham,1731 First Avenue North, Suite 200, 
Birmingham, AL 35203, Phone (205) 264-8441 ext 441. E-mail 
[email protected].
    To be added to the mailing list please contact Mr. Darrell Howard 
at the address listed above. Please specify the mailing list of the 
Downtown Birmingham/University of Alabama Birmingham Activity Centers 
(also known as In-town Transit Partnership Project). The dates and 
address of the scoping meetings are given in the DATES section above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a scoping information 
packet, contact Mr. Darrell Howard, Principal Transportation Planner, 
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, 1731 First Avenue 
North, Suite 200, Birmingham, AL 35203; Phone (205) 264-8441 ext 441. 
E-mail [email protected]. The Federal agency contact is: Mr. Len 
Lacour, Transportation Program Specialist, Federal Transit 
Administration--District 4, Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, 
SW., Atlanta, GA 30303, (404) 562-3515. E-mail is 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Description of the Study Area and Scope

    The Federal Transit Administration, as joint lead agency with the 
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, will prepare an AA/
DEIS on a proposal to transit service in a study area that is about 2.5 
miles long and 2.5 miles wide that includes the Downtown Birmingham 
Financial Center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) campus, 
the Five Points South activity center and portions of adjacent 
neighborhoods. The study area is generally bounded by 13th Avenues 
North on the north, U.S. 31 and 280 and 35th Street South on the east, 
16th Avenue South on the south, and Interstate 65 on the west. Most of 
the area is densely developed and serves as the Central Business 
District (CBD) for the City of Birmingham and represents the largest 
single concentration of employment in the metropolitan area. The 
project is a result of the Birmingham MPO Strategic Regional Multi-
Modal Plan (SRMMP) completed in 1999 and the Birmingham Regional 
Transportation Alternatives Analysis completed in 2004. The Downtown 
Birmingham/University of Alabama Birmingham-Southside was one of three 
corridors recommended for priority action. The AA/DEIS will include an 
analysis of alternatives and selection of a LPA. This will also include 
conceptual engineering of the alternatives considered to a level 
necessary to satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
requirements. Cost estimates and a financial plan that examines 
alternative funding sources will also be prepared.

II. Purpose and Need

    With more than 80,000 daily workers, the Downtown Birmingham and 
UAB area represents the largest single concentration of employment in 
the region and is forecast to add another 17,000 employees over the 
next 20 years. As the largest employer in the metropolitan area, UAB 
serves as an economic engine for the region and has a growing student 
enrollment of more than 16,000. The area also includes more than 4.8 
million square feet of office development, the city's major convention 
center, and burgeoning residential development and redevelopment 
projects in the city center and adjacent neighborhoods. Maintaining and 
enhancing access into and within these important activity centers is 
critical for the economic health of the region and quality of life for 
area residents. Increasing traffic congestion, air quality concerns, 
parking constraints, and limited transportation choices threaten the 
continued expansion of this vital area. Transit service options need to 
be considered that have the potential to: connect regional transit 
services to destination points in the downtown and university areas, 
connect residential neighborhoods to employment and retail businesses, 
reduce the demand for additional parking spaces in the core area, 
reduce automobile travel for short trips between various destinations 
within the Downtown and UAB areas, reinforce the city center as a 
regional

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destination, support expansion plans for both UAB and the Convention 
Center, and better serve transit dependant populations are needed.

III. Alternatives

    Alternatives have been identified to address transportation needs 
in the study area, connecting major activity centers including the 
Downtown Financial core, University of Alabama Birmingham Campus, Five 
Points South commercial area, the Convention Center, area hospitals/
medical centers, and adjacent neighborhoods. The project will be 
consistent with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Alternatives 
Analysis and Section 5309 New Start Program requirements for 
determining future federal funding in recommended programs and be 
consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The 
alternatives being considered will analyze mobility needs and identify 
and compare the costs, benefits, and impacts of a range of transit 
alignment and technology alternatives. At a minimum the following 
alternatives will be considered:
     No-Build Alternative--This includes all of the 
transportation improvements included in the RPCGB Year 2030 Long Range 
Transportation Plan but assumes that the potential new start project 
being evaluated in the EIS is not constructed.
     Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--This 
includes all of the improvements assumed in the No-Build alternative 
plus other reasonable low cost improvements to address the project 
purpose and need. The TSM also assumes that the potential new start 
project being considered in the EIS is not constructed.
     Build Alternative: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)--This assumes 
that all of the improvements included in the No-Build Alternative are 
constructed plus the addition of a rubber tired transit service that 
operates in either mixed traffic or in reserved right-of-way connecting 
the major activity centers in the study area.
     Build Alternative: Streetcar--This assumes that all of the 
improvements included in the No-Build Alternative are constructed plus 
the addition of a rail transit service that operates on tracks in 
either mixed traffic or in reserved right-of-way connecting the major 
activity centers in the study area.
    The alternatives will be developed further during the preparation 
of the AA/DEIS. Based on previous studies several candidate streets in 
the study area have been identified as possible alignments for the 
Build Alternatives. These streets include: 18th Street, 19th Street, 
20th Street, and Richard Arrington Blvd in the north-south direction 
and 5th Avenue South, 6th Avenue South, 7th Avenue South, and 
University Boulevard in the east-west direction. Additional reasonable 
Build Alternatives suggested during the scoping process including those 
involving other modes, may be considered.

IV. Probable Effects

    The purpose of the DEIS is to fully disclose the environmental 
consequences of building and operating a major capital investment in 
the Downtown Birmingham and UAB Activity Centers study area in advance 
of any decision to commit substantial financial or other resources 
towards its implementation. The DEIS will explore the extent to which 
study alternatives and alignment options result in environmental 
impacts and will discuss actions to reduce or eliminate such impacts.
    Environmental issues to be examined in the DEIS include impacts to: 
Community facilities, cultural resources, parklands, traffic 
operations, parking, transit service and operations, local economy, air 
quality, noise and vibration, environmental justice populations, 
potential contaminated sites, and water resources as well as any 
displacements of residents and businesses. Impacts will be identified 
for both the construction period and long term operation of the 
alternatives. The proposed transportation criteria will include 
transportation, social, economic, and financial measures as required by 
current federal (NEPA) environmental laws and the implementing 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and of FTA.
    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 and the DEIS should be 
directed to Mr. Darrell Howard at the RPCGB at the address noted in the 
ADDRESSES section above.

V. FTA Procedures

    Depending on the outcome of the scoping process and the analysis of 
a wide range of transit alternatives, an LPA will be selected and 
evaluated in the DEIS. The DEIS will be prepared simultaneously with 
the conceptual engineering for the alternatives, including station and 
alignment options. The DEIS will address the potential use of federal 
funds for the proposed action as well as assess the social, economic, 
environmental, and transportation impacts of the station and alignment 
options. Station and alignment options will be refined to minimize and 
mitigate any adverse impacts.
    After publication, the DEIS will be available for public and agency 
review and comment, and a public hearing will be held. Based on the 
DEIS and comments received, the LPA may be refined, and the RPCGB will 
further assess the LPA in the Final EIS and will apply for FTA approval 
to initiate Preliminary Engineering of the LPA.

    Issued on: October 19, 2005.
Alexander E. McNeil,
Director, Office of Planning & Program Development.
[FR Doc. 05-21237 Filed 10-24-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P