[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 23 (Friday, February 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 5903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1500]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Rail Corridor--Richmond, VA (Main 
Street Station) to Raleigh, NC (Boylan Wye), Extension of Study Area to 
Richmond, VA

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a 
revision to the Northern terminus of the project to be studied in the 
Tier-II Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Southeast High 
Speed Rail (SEHSR) Corridor in Virginia and North Carolina. The 
previous Notice of Intent issued on May 22, 2003 identified a Northern 
project terminus in Petersburg, Virginia at Collier Rail Yard. The EIS 
study area now extends from Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia 
to Raleigh, North Carolina (Boylan Wye), forming a project corridor 
approximately 168 miles long.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Foster, Rail Environmental 
Programs Manager, North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail 
Division, 1553 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1553, telephone 
 (919) 733-7245 x 266; or Mr. John Winkle, Project Manager, 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), 400 Seventh Street, SW., MS 20, 
Washington, DC 20590, telephone  (202) 493-6067.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In May 2003 the FRA, in cooperation with the 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the North Carolina Department of 
Transportation (NCDOT), and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public 
Transportation (VDRPT), began a Tier-II Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the 138-mile portion of the SEHSR Corridor from Petersburg, 
Virginia at Collier Yard to Raleigh, North Carolina at the Boylan Wye. 
This study is evaluating rail alternatives and environmental impacts 
within the preferred corridor (Alternative A) described in the Tier-I 
Record of Decision for the SEHSR Corridor from Washington, DC to 
Charlotte, North Carolina. The previous Notice of Intent (68 FR 28044) 
disclosed that multiple options within the preferred SEHSR corridor 
exist to connect the S-line from Burgess to Main Street Station in 
Richmond, Virginia.
    The study limits of the Richmond to Raleigh Tier II EIS are now 
being extended to Richmond Main Street Station adding approximately 30 
miles to the study corridor and encompassing the previously disclosed 
multiple options in this area. The additional study corridor generally 
follows the CSX S-line from Richmond Main Street Station to Centralia, 
and the CSX main line (A-line) from Centralia to Dunlop. From Dunlop to 
Burgess, Virginia there are multiple alternatives that will be 
evaluated, including different locations for crossing the Appomattox 
River to join the former Seaboard Air Line (S-line) to Raleigh, North 
Carolina.
    This Tier-II environmental process has four basic goals: (1) 
Reiterate the purpose and need as established in the Tier-I EIS for the 
Washington, DC to Charlotte, NC portion of the SEHSR corridor; (2) 
develop site-specific rail alternatives within the study corridor; (3) 
conduct a detailed evaluation of environmental impacts for the 
alternatives; and (4) select a preferred alternative. Agency scoping 
meetings for the extended study area will be scheduled in Richmond 
Virginia in late February or early March of 2006.
    Letters describing the proposed action alternatives and soliciting 
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies 
in Virginia. An iterative public involvement/information program will 
support the process. The program will involve newsletters, a project 
hotline, informational workshops, small group meetings, and other 
methods to solicit and incorporate public input throughout the planning 
process.
    To ensure that the full range of issues relating to the proposed 
action is addressed, comments and suggestions are invited from all 
interested parties. Comments and questions concerning the extension of 
the proposed action should be directed to NCDOT or to the FRA at the 
addresses provided above. Additional information can be obtained by 
visiting the project Web site at http://www.sehsr.org or calling the 
toll-free project number 1-877-749-RAIL (7245).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2006.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development.
[FR Doc. E6-1500 Filed 2-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P