[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 125 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37158-37159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5822]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: Relocation or Reconstruction of 
Rail Lines in Tupelo, MS

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

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that FRA will prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the relocation or reconstruction of railroad 
lines in the Tupelo, Mississippi central business district. The study 
area is defined to extend from the vicinity of Plantersville, MS, 
southeast of Tupelo, to the vicinity of Sherman, northwest of Tupelo. 
Tupelo is the primary business center of northeast Mississippi.
    Currently, within the central business district there are more than 
25 at-grade rail crossings on two railroad lines. One of the rail lines 
is owned by the BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) and the other by the Kansas 
City Southern Railroad (KCS). The two rail lines cross at an 
interchange near downtown Tupelo. There are between twenty and twenty-
five trains per day on the BNSF line, and three or four per day on the 
KCS line. There are few rail customers remaining in the central 
business district, and most of the trains are through trains operating 
in the Birmingham, Alabama to Memphis, Tennessee corridor.
    Traffic congestion is already a significant problem in the central 
business district, and the current rail line configuration is a 
contributing cause to this congestion. The switchyard between the two 
lines is within the central business district, and the BNSF line runs 
diagonally through the highest volume intersection in the city. 
Tupelo's employment has been growing at a steady pace of about 1,000 
jobs per year for the last few years, which only increases vehicular 
traffic to the area and further exacerbates the situation. Moreover, 
issues with access to emergency facilities exist in that many Tupelo 
residents may be cut off from the regional medical center due to delays 
caused by the rail line and switching station.
    The FRA has entered into a cooperative agreement with the 
Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT), with FRA as the lead 
Federal agency and MDOT as the lead state agency. Funding for the EIS 
was provided through an appropriation in the Transportation, Treasury, 
and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004, Public Law 108-199 
(January 23, 2004).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne Parrish, Planning Division, 
Mississippi Department of Transportation, 401 N. West Street, Jackson, 
MS 39201, telephone number (601) 359-7685; Mr. John Winkle, Project 
Manager, Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20590, telephone number (202) 493-6067.
    Environmental Issues: Possible environmental impacts include 
displacement of commercial and residential properties, increased noise 
in some areas, effects to historical properties or archaeological 
sites, impacts to parks and recreational resources, viewshed effects, 
impacts to water resources, wetlands, and sensitive biological species 
and habitat, land use compatibility impacts, energy use, and impacts to 
agricultural lands.
    Alternatives: The EIS will consider alternatives that include: (1) 
Taking no action; (2) reconstruction with grade separation of rail and 
highway facilities within the existing corridors; and (3) relocation 
and construction of the railroad line(s) in new location(s).
    Scoping and Comment: FRA encourages broad participation in the EIS 
process and review of the resulting environmental documents. Comments, 
questions, and suggestions related to the project and potential 
environmental concerns are invited from all interested agencies and the 
public at large to

[[Page 37159]]

ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed action and 
all reasonable alternatives are addressed and all significant issues 
are identified. These comments, questions, and suggestions should be 
addressed to the MDOT or the FRA at the addresses provided above. The 
public is invited to participate in the scoping process, to review the 
Draft EIS when published, and to provide input at all public meetings. 
Letters describing the proposed scope of the EIS and soliciting 
comments will be sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, community organizations, and to private 
organizations and citizens who express interest in this proposal. 
Several public meetings to be advertised in the local media will be 
held in the project area regarding this proposal. Release of the Draft 
EIS for public comment and public meetings and hearings related to that 
document will be announced as those dates are established. A scoping 
meeting will be conducted in the Tupelo area at a date and place, which 
will be widely publicized well in advance of the meeting.
    Persons interested in providing comments on the scope of the EIS 
should do so within 30 days of the publication of this Notice of 
Intent. Comments can be sent in writing to the points of contact listed 
above.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 23, 2006.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Development, Federal Railroad 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 06-5822 Filed 6-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P