[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30014-30016]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7865]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement on East-West Corridor Transit Improvements in Miami-Dade 
County, FL

AGENCIES: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental draft environmental 
impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Miami-Dade 
Transit (MDT) intend to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (SDEIS) in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), for the proposed East-West Transit Corridor 
Study in Miami-Dade County, Florida, between Florida International 
University (FIU) and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) at Miami 
International Airport (MIA). The SDEIS will evaluate at least three 
alternatives: a No-Build Alternative; a Transportation System 
Management (TSM) Alternative; a Build Alternative; and any reasonable 
alternatives uncovered during the public scoping process. Scoping will 
be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested 
persons, organizations, the general public, Federal, State and local 
agencies. MDT will create a Coordination Plan to actively include 
public and participating agency involvement and comment during the 
entire NEPA process. The Coordination Plan will be found on the East-
West Corridor Web site at http://www.miamidade.gov/transit. The purpose 
of this Notice of Intent is to re-notify interested parties of the 
intent to prepare the SDEIS and invite participation in the Study. An 
Advance Notification for the original East-West Corridor Multimodal 
Project was issued in 1993. The study area being evaluated in this 
SDEIS traverses the western portion (i.e., FIU to MIC) of the entire 
East-West Corridor between FIU and the Port of Miami that was studied 
in the East-West Multimodal Corridor Major Investment Study/Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (MIS/DEIS) in 1995 and the East-West 
Multimodal Corridor Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in 
1998. A Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA)/Minimum Operable Segment 
(MOS) emerged from this process and was the subject of a Record of 
Decision jointly issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 
and FTA in 1998. With approval of the People's Transportation Plan 
(PTP) by Miami-Dade County voters in 2002, along with changes in growth 
and development along the western portion of the corridor, a 
redefinition of planned transit investments resulted in the locally 
proposed alternative. It is the intention of this action to improve 
mobility in the East-West Corridor.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the 
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to Ms. Maria 
C. Batista, Project Manager by June 30, 2006. See ADDRESSES below. 
Scoping Meetings: A Miami-Dade Transit agency coordination meeting will 
be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Florida 
International University, Miami, Florida. Public scoping meetings will 
be held on Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Florida 
International University, Miami, Florida, and on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 
from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. Dominic Catholic Church, Miami, Florida. 
See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to Ms. 
Maria C. Batista, Project Manager, Miami-Dade Transit, 111 NW., First 
Street, Suite 910, Miami, Florida 33128-1970. The fax number is 
305.372.6017.
    Scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:

Agency Coordination Meeting

    Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

[[Page 30015]]

    Florida International University, Graham Building, University Park, 
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida.

Public Meetings

    Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
    Florida International University, Graham Building, University Park, 
11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, Florida. Tuesday, June 13, 2006 from 7 p.m. 
to 9 p.m. St. Dominic Catholic Church, Senior Center Hall, 5849 NW 7th 
Street, Miami, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tony Dittmeier, Transportation 
Program Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Atlanta Regional 
Office, (404) 562-3512.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The current East-West Transit Corridor SDEIS is re-examining 
improved transit service in the portion of the East-West Corridor 
between FIU and the MIC at MIA. The MDT and FTA invite interested 
individuals, organizations, and Federal, State, and local agencies to 
participate in defining the purpose and need for, and refining the 
scope of the East-West Transit Corridor SDEIS. Comments should focus on 
identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental issues 
related to the proposed alternatives. Specific suggestions related to 
alignment variations to be examined and issues to be addressed are 
welcome and will be considered in the final scope for the study. 
Scoping comments should focus on the issues for analysis. Comments may 
be made at the scoping meetings or in writing no later than June 30, 
2006. See DATES and ADDRESSES above for meeting times and locations and 
the address for written comments. A scoping information packet is 
available from Ms. Maria C. Batista at the address given above or on 
the MDT internet Web page at http://www.miamidade.gov/transit. See 
ADDRESSES above.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The study area is located in central Miami-Dade County, Florida, 
beginning at the University Park Campus of FIU and ending just past MIA 
at the proposed MIC. The study area covers approximately a three-mile 
by nine-mile rectangle, generally bounded by NW 25th Street on the 
north; SW 8th Street on the south; the Homestead Extension of Florida's 
Turnpike (SR 821) on the west; and NW 37th Avenue to the east. It 
encompasses the area 1.5 miles north and south of the Dolphin 
Expressway (SR 836). The study area includes portions of the Cities of 
Miami, Sweetwater, and Doral, as well as areas within unincorporated 
Miami-Dade County. This area is highly urbanized with the older and 
denser development to the east (i.e., downtown Miami and Miami Beach), 
and the more recent and less dense development in the suburbs to the 
west and south.
    The proposed transit alternative would serve the airport, portions 
of the City of Miami along the Dolphin Expressway, the City of 
Sweetwater, the City of Doral and FIU. It would provide an additional 
means of transportation within and through the heavily-congested East-
West Corridor, thereby improving accessibility to major activity 
centers in the corridor and in the region generally. This would include 
improved mobility between residential suburbs to the south and west and 
the employment, cultural, and tourism centers to the east such as MIA, 
downtown Miami, the Port of Miami, and Miami Beach.
    The purpose of and need for pursuing additional transit options to 
address mobility and accessibility issues in the East-West Corridor is 
based on the following key elements:
     The Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), 
MDT, elected officials, and the people of Miami-Dade County have shown 
their commitment to major transportation capital investment in the 
corridor through officially adopted plans and approval of a referendum 
to commit sales tax revenues to fund expansion of the Metrorail system 
in this corridor.
     The roadway network in the corridor is heavily congested 
with many segments that have significantly high crash rates and 
unreliable travel conditions and times.
     The corridor contains several major employment/activity 
centers, including Miami International Airport, the single most 
important economic force and trip generator in the region.
     The efficiency of current transit service in the corridor, 
provided exclusively by bus, is hampered by the same factors that have 
impaired mobility along the congested roadway network in the corridor.
     With only one current and two planned east-west express 
bus routes in the corridor, current and potential transit users in the 
study area would benefit greatly from a higher level of transit 
service.
     Once the planned expansion of the Dolphin Expressway is 
completed, there will be essentially no capacity to further expand the 
roadway network in any substantial way, either for general purpose 
traffic or exclusive transit lanes, due to the high cost of acquiring 
property for right-of-way and associated adverse environmental impacts 
and community disruption.
     In order to meet projected growth and sustain continued 
economic viability within the corridor and the region, a major 
investment in transit is needed to meet mobility and accessibility 
needs.
    In a region where high capacity transportation facilities are 
primarily oriented north-south, the East-West Corridor is Miami-Dade 
County's most important and heavily traveled east-west route. Much of 
the growth in recent years has occurred in the western and southwestern 
portions of the region, including the western portion of the East-West 
Corridor, which has seen rapid growth in population, households, and 
employment. The study area currently has more than 195,000 residents in 
68,000 households and some 180,500 jobs. Official growth forecasts 
indicate that this trend will continue with population increasing by 
44,000 (23 percent) by the year 2030 and jobs increasing by 60,000 (33 
percent).
    Several studies have clearly demonstrated the need for public 
transportation improvements to accommodate the East-West Corridor's 
substantial population growth, increasing employment and development, 
and the need for a wider range of mobility options to meet rising east-
west travel demand within and through the corridor. Both the Miami-Dade 
MPO's 2030 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and the People's 
Transportation Plan have designated the East-West Corridor as a 
priority corridor for extension of Metrorail service. In November 2002, 
the voters of Miami-Dade County approved the People's Transportation 
Plan and a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the plan. The 
PTP includes an extension of Metrorail service from the MIC to FIU. The 
extension of Metrorail service from the MIC to FIU also is designated 
as a Priority I project in the MPO's financially constrained 2030 LRTP, 
approved by the MPO Governing Board in December 2004.

III. Alternatives

    The transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in this 
study area include:
    No-Build Alternative--The No-Build Alternative includes the 
existing street, highway, and transit facilities and services and those 
transit and highway improvements planned and programmed to be 
implemented by

[[Page 30016]]

2030. The No-Build Alternative provides the baseline for establishing 
the environmental impacts of the proposed alternatives, and assumes the 
following projects will be completed:
     Extension of the Stage 1 Metrorail Line from the existing 
Earlington Heights station to a new station at the MIC.
     MIC-MIA Connector fixed guideway people mover system 
linking MIA and the MIC.
     Increase in Tri-Rail service frequencies to 20-minute 
headways during peak periods between MIA and Mangonia Park Station in 
Palm Beach County.
    Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--The TSM 
Alternative is defined as lower cost, operationally-oriented 
improvements to address the transportation problems identified in the 
corridor. It also provides a baseline against which the effectiveness 
of the Build Alternative is evaluated and rated for federal New Starts 
funding, and would include the following:
     Express, limited-stop bus service along the Dolphin 
Expressway.
     Enhanced bus service on major east-west arterials.
     Park-and-ride facilities at the same locations as the 
Build Alternative and sized to meet the forecasted demand.
     Enhanced bus stations at the same locations as the Build 
Alternative.
     The TSM Alternative also includes all improvements 
identified under the No-Build Alternative.
    Build Alternative--The Build Alternative consists of an 
approximately 10.1 mile, two-track, elevated, heavy rail extension of 
Metrorail from the MIC at MIA west to FIU, with proposed stations at 
the NW 57th Avenue/Blue Lagoon, NW 72nd Ave./Palmetto Expressway, NW 
87th Avenue, NW 97th Avenue, NW 107th Avenue, and FIU. The LPA that was 
developed as a result of the initial environmental studies prepared in 
the 1990's continues to form the basis of the current SDEIS effort. The 
Build Alternative connects FIU with the MIC at MIA by following the 
Florida Turnpike northward from FIU and then the Dolphin Expressway 
eastward to the MIC. It would be developed as a direct extension of the 
existing Metrorail system. Several land use and development changes 
have occurred since the previous studies that require some minor 
refinement of the alignment and station location options. These 
refinements are being developed in consultation with state and local 
agencies and the surrounding community. The intent of these refinements 
to the alternative is to stay generally within the original corridor 
while looking to improvements that would enhance the ridership 
potential of the line, reduce costs where feasible, and further 
mitigate environmental impacts.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

    The FTA and MDT will evaluate all significant environmental, 
social, and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the SDEIS. 
Environmental and social impacts proposed for analysis include land 
use, zoning, and economic development; secondary development; land 
acquisition, displacements, and relocation of existing uses; historic 
resources; visual and aesthetic qualities; neighborhoods and 
communities; environmental justice; air quality; noise and vibration; 
hazardous materials; ecosystems; water resources; energy; safety and 
security; utilities; traffic and transportation; natural areas; 
threatened and endangered species; ground water and potentially 
contaminated sites; wetlands; and floodplain areas. The SDEIS will also 
evaluate secondary and cumulative impacts. Potential impacts will be 
assessed for the long-term operation of each alternative and the short-
term construction period. Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any 
significant adverse impacts will be identified.

V. Public Involvement

    A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed and a 
public and agency involvement Coordination Plan will be created. The 
program includes a project Web site (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit); 
outreach to local and county officials and community and civic groups; 
a public scoping process to define the issues of concern among all 
parties interested in the study; a public hearing on release of the 
supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS); 
establishment of walk-in project offices in the corridor; and 
development and distribution of project newsletters.

VI. FTA Procedures

    In accordance with FTA policy, all Federal laws, regulations, and 
executive orders affecting project development, including but not 
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and 
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR Part 771), 
the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, section 404 of the Clean Water Act, 
Executive Order 12898 regarding environmental justice, the National 
Historic Preservation Act, the Endangered Species Act, and section 4(f) 
of the DOT Act, will be addressed to the maximum extent practicable 
during the NEPA process. In addition, MDT may seek Sec.  5309 New 
Starts funding for the project and will therefore be subject to the FTA 
New Starts regulation (49 CFR part 611). This New Starts regulation 
requires the submission of certain specified information to FTA to 
support a MDT request to initiate preliminary engineering, which is 
normally done in conjunction with the NEPA process. Pertinent New 
Starts evaluation criteria will be included in the Final Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement.

    Issued On: May 17, 2006.
Yvette G. Taylor,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. E6-7865 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P