[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12420-12421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2337]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement for the Denton County, TX, 
Transportation Authority Commuter Rail Project

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Denton County 
Transportation Authority (DCTA) issue this notice to advise interested 
agencies and the public of their intent to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the regulations implementing 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for transportation 
improvements in Denton and Dallas Counties, Texas. Transit improvements 
will be considered generally between Denton and Carrollton along the 
former Missouri Kansas Texas (MKT) Railroad line that parallels I-35E, 
as recommended by the DCTA Board of Directors in May 2005 following a 
study of the transportation needs in the corridor and an analysis of 
alternative solutions. The relationships of concurrent projects such as 
the I-35E Environmental Analysis (EA) being conducted by the Texas 
Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Northwest Corridor Light Rail 
Transit project being advanced by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), 
and others, will also be considered in the EIS process.
    Transportation improvements are needed to meet current and future 
travel demands and to upgrade the transportation facilities in the 
corridor. The EIS will evaluate the recommended regional rail 
alignment, the No-Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems 
Management (TSM) alternative, and any additional reasonable 
alternatives that emerge from scoping.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written or electronic comments on the scope of 
the EIS, including the purpose and need for transportation action in 
the corridor, and alternatives and impacts to be considered, should be 
sent to the project team's public involvement coordinator (see 
ADDRESSES below) by March 31, 2006. Scoping Meetings: Public scoping 
meetings will be held on February 28, 2006, in Denton, TX, and March 
2,20076, in Lewisville, TX, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the locations 
shown in ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written or electronic comments on the EIS scope should be 
sent to: Judy Meyer, Public Involvement Lead, c/o Public Information 
Associates, P.O. Box 570, Allen, Texas 75013; Phone: 888-724-5328; Fax: 
214-495-0479; E-mail: [email protected].
    Scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:

Tuesday, February 28, 2006
    6-8 p.m., Martin Luther King Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St., 
Denton, TX 76205.
Thursday, March 2, 2006
6-8 p.m., Lewisville Senior Center, 1950 S. Valley Parkway, Lewisville, 
TX 75067.
    Information on the time and place of the public scoping meetings 
will be provided in the local newspapers and other media outlets. The 
scoping information packet is available on the Internet at http://www.RailDCTA.net. The packet is also available in hardcopy form by 
contacting Judy Meyer as indicated above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sweek, Community Planner, Federal 
Transit Administration, Region VI; (817) 978-0550.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping of the EIS

    The FTA, in cooperation with the DCTA, will prepare an EIS for 
transportation improvements along the MKT Railroad line that parallels 
I-35E between Denton and Carrollton. Interested individuals, 
organizations, businesses and Federal, state and local agencies are 
invited to participate in determining the scope of the EIS, including 
the purpose and need for transportation action in the corridor, 
alternative alignments, alternative station locations, impacts to be 
evaluate, and environmental or community resources to be protected. 
Specific suggestions on additional alternatives to be examined and 
issues to be addressed are welcome and will be considered in the 
development in the final study scope. Scoping comments may be made 
orally or in writing not later than March 31, 2006. See DATES and 
ADDRESSES above. Additional information on the EIS process, the purpose 
and need, alternatives, and anticipated impact

[[Page 12421]]

issues are available from DCTA. See DATES and ADDRESSES above.
    The EIS will evaluate transit improvement alternatives, the No-
Action alternative, and a Transportation System Management (TSM) 
alternative based on the Purpose and Need statement developed for the 
corridor during the previous Alternatives Analysis (AA). The AA 
document is available for public review on the Internet at http://www.RailDCTA.net or by contacting the project office at the address in 
ADDRESSES above. The AA document will also be available for review at 
the public scoping meetings. Alternatives will be reviewed and analyzed 
through an extensive agency and community outreach process. The EIS 
evaluation will result in a decision about which transportation 
projects, if any, will be built to address the states purpose and need 
for transportation action in the corridor.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The study area for the EIS evaluation is the travelshed that 
parallels I-35E between Denton and Carrollton. The purpose of the 
proposed action is to decrease congestion, and improve safety, access, 
and mobility. More details are available in the scoping information 
packet. See ADDRESSES above.

III. Alternatives To Be Considered

    The alternatives evaluated in the EIS will include, but not limited 
to, the recommended Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) developed in 
the AA, and approved by the DCTA Board of Directors in May 2005. This 
alternative consisted of Regional Rail (also called Commuter Rail) on 
the MKT alignment. Feeder bus improvements also were included as part 
of the recommended LPA. In addition, an existing bicycle/hiking trail 
on the northern portion of the corridor would be relocated within the 
railroad right-of-way as a `rails-with-trails' facility. Five stations 
were proposed on the alignment during the AA: downtown Denton; south 
Denton; north Lewisville; downtown Lewisville; and south Lewisville; 
with a connection to the DART light rail station at Belt Line in 
Carrollton.
    The EIS will again examine other reasonable alternatives emerge 
from scoping. These may include alternatives that were screened out 
during the AA but that may now be available due to recent demographic 
trends, anticipated funding levels, or technological advances. The EIS 
will also evaluate the appropriate end-of-line and associated 
facilities and connections into the DART system in Carrollton and in 
downtown Denton. As part of the transit evaluation, station locations, 
railyard facilities, and other ancillary facilities such as stormwater 
management systems will be studied and identified as appropriate.
    The EIS will also fully evaluate the No-Action Alternative and a 
TSM alternative. Other alternatives may be added as a result of scoping 
and agency coordination efforts.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

    The EIS evaluation will analyze social, economic, and environmental 
impacts of the alternatives. Major issues to be evaluated include air 
quality, noise and vibration, aesthetics, community cohesion impacts, 
and possible disruption of neighborhoods, businesses and commercial 
activities. The impact areas and level of detail addressed in the EIS 
will be consistent with the requirements of SAFETEA-LU Section 6002 and 
the FTA/Federal Highway Administration environmental regulation 
(Environmental Impact and Related Procedures, 23 CFR part 771 and 40 
CFR parts 1500-1508) and other environmental and related regulations. 
Among other factors, the EIS will evaluate:
     Transportation service including future corridor capacity;
     Transit ridership and costs;
     Traffic movements and changes and associated impacts to 
local facilities;
     Community impacts such as land use, displacements, noise 
and vibration, neighborhood compatibility and aesthetics; and
     Resource impacts including impacts to historic and 
archaeological resources, parklands, cultural resource impacts, 
environmental justice, and natural resource impacts including air 
quality, wetlands, water quality, and wildlife.
    The proposed impact assessment and evaluation will take into 
account both positive and negative impacts, direct and indirect 
impacts, short-term (during the construction period) and long-terms 
impacts, and site-specific as well as corridor-wide impacts. Mitigation 
measures will be identified for any adverse environmental impacts that 
are identified.
    Other potential impacts may be added as a result of scoping and 
agency coordination efforts.

    Issued on: March 7, 2006.
Robert C. Patrick,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Fort Worth, 
Texas.
[FR Doc. 06-2337 Filed 3-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-M