[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 96 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28915-28916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7527]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Notice of Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public 
Transportation Projects

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of limitation on claims.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for public transportation projects 
in Norfolk, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; San 
Francisco, California; and Portland, Oregon. The purpose of this notice 
is to activate the limitation on any claims that may challenge these 
final FTA environmental actions.

DATES: By this notice, FTA is advising the public of final agency 
actions subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(l). A claim seeking judicial review of 
any of the FTA actions announced herein for the listed public 
transportation projects will be barred unless the claim is filed on or 
before November 14, 2006. If the Federal law that authorizes judicial 
review of a claim provides a time period of less than 180 days for 
filing such claim, then the shorter time period applies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl Bausch, Director, Office of Human 
and Natural Environment, (202) 366-1626. FTA is located at 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that FTA has taken 
final agency actions by issuing certain approvals for the public 
transportation projects listed below. The actions on these projects, as 
well as the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in 
the documentation issued in connection with the project to comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and in other documents in 
the FTA administrative record for the project. The final agency 
environmental decision documents--Records of Decision (RODs) and 
Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs)--for the listed projects are 
available online at http://www.fta.dot.gov/18087_ENG_HTML.htm or may 
be obtained by contacting the FTA Regional Office for the urbanized 
area where the project is located. Contact information for the FTA 
Regional Offices may be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov/about/offices/4978_ENG_HTML.htm.
    This notice applies to all FTA decisions on the listed projects as 
of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such 
actions were taken, including, but not limited to, the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [42 U.S.C. 4321-4375], section 4(f) of 
the Department of Transportation Act of 1966 [49 U.S.C. 303], section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 [16 U.S.C. 470f], 
and the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 7401-7671q].
    The projects and actions that are the subject of this notice are:
    1. Project name and location: Norfolk Light Rail Transit Project, 
Norfolk, Virginia. Project sponsor: Hampton Roads Transit. FTA Regional 
Office: Region III in Philadelphia. Project description: The project is 
a 7.4-mile light rail transit (LRT) system consisting of an exclusive 
double-track guideway that generally follows the Norfolk Southern 
Railroad's South Beach Branch right-of-way, with street-running 
operations through downtown Norfolk to the Eastern Virginia Medical 
Center. The project includes 11 LRT stations, a vehicle storage-and-
maintenance facility, and park-and-ride lots at four of the LRT 
stations. Final agency actions: ROD issued April 26, 2006; Section 4(f) 
Finding; Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement; project-level Air Quality 
Conformity Determination. Supporting documentation: Final Environmental 
Impact Statement issued October 28, 2005.
    2. Project name and location: Nashville Central Station Project, 
Nashville, Tennessee. Project sponsor: Nashville Metropolitan Transit 
Authority. FTA Regional Office: Region IV in Atlanta. Project 
description: The project involves building a downtown bus transit 
center and transfer station. Final agency actions: FONSI issued 
February 6, 2006; project-level Air Quality Conformity Determination. 
Supporting documentation: Environmental Assessment, issued in June 
2005, revised in February 2006.
    3. Project name and location: Central Phoenix/East Valley Light-
Rail Project, in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Project sponsor: Valley 
Metro Rail. FTA Regional Office: Region IX in San Francisco. Project 
description: The project is a 20-mile light rail transit (LRT) line 
from the vicinity of Phoenix Spectrum Mall, through Tempe, to the East 
Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) in Mesa. The LRT line will 
generally operate at grade on dual tracks in the center or at the side 
of existing streets, with crossings over the Grand and Tempe Canals and 
Tempe Town Lake. The project includes 28 stations, a maintenance 
facility and storage yard for the light rail vehicles, park-and-ride 
facilities at nine of the stations, off-street bus transfer facilities 
at five of the stations, and an operations control center. Final agency 
actions: ROD issued January 24, 2003; Section 4(f) finding; Section 106 
Memorandum of Agreement; project-level Air Quality Conformity 
Determination. Supporting documentation: Final Environmental Impact 
Statement issued November 1, 2002.
    4. Project name and location: Transbay Terminal/Caltrain Downtown 
Extension/Redevelopment Project in San Francisco, California. Project 
sponsor: Transbay Joint Powers Authority. FTA Regional Office: Region 
IX in San Francisco. Project description: The project consists of three 
major components: a new, multi-modal Transbay Transit Center on the 
site of the present Transbay Terminal; the extension of Caltrain 
commuter rail line from its current San Francisco terminus at Fourth 
and Townsend streets to a new underground station underneath

[[Page 28916]]

the new Transbay Transit Center; and the establishment of a 
redevelopment area with related development activities, including 
transit-oriented development on publicly owned land in the vicinity of 
the new Transbay Transit Center. Final agency actions: ROD issued 
February 8, 2005; Section 4(f) finding; Section 106 Memorandum of 
Agreement; project-level Air Quality Conformity Determination. 
Supporting documentation: Final Environmental Impact Statement issued 
April 2, 2004.
    5. Project name and location: South Corridor I-205/Portland Mall 
Light Rail Transit Project. Project sponsors: Portland Metro and Tri-
County Metropolitan Transportation District. FTA Regional Office: 
Region X in Seattle. Project description: The project has two major 
components: a 6.5-mile light rail transit (LRT) line along I-205 from 
the Clackamas Town Center to the Gateway Transit Center where it 
connects to the existing Banfield LRT line; and a 1.8-mile downtown 
transit mall LRT segment connecting into the existing light rail system 
at the Steel Bridge. The I-205 segment includes eight new LRT stations 
and five new park-and-ride lots. The Portland Mall segment adds seven 
pairs of LRT stations on 5th and 6th Avenues. The project includes the 
expansion of the Ruby Junction light rail vehicle storage and 
maintenance facility. Final agency actions: ROD issued February 22, 
2005; Section 4(f) Finding; Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement; 
project-level Air Quality Conformity Determination. Supporting 
documentation: Final Environmental Impact Statement issued December 17, 
2004.

    Issued on: May 11, 2006.
Ronald Fisher,
Acting Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, 
Washington, DC.
 [FR Doc. E6-7527 Filed 5-17-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P