[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48970-48972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-13896]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; East Link Project, WA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Central Puget Sound 
Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) intend to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Sound Transit's proposed 11 to 19-
mile extension of the Central Link Light rail transit project from 
Seattle to the cities of Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond, within 
King County, Washington. The EIS will also be prepared in accordance 
with the provisions of the recently enacted Safe, Accountable, 
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users 
(SAFETEA-LU), and with Washington's State Environmental Policy Act 
(SEPA). The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to alert interested 
parties regarding the plan to prepare the EIS, to provide information 
on the nature of the proposed transit project, to invite participation 
in the EIS process, including comments on the scope of the EIS proposed 
in this notice, and to announce that public scoping meetings will be 
conducted. The EIS will address the no action alternative and 
reasonable alternatives that meet the project purpose and need.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be 
considered in the EIS must be received no later than October 2, 2006, 
and must be sent to Sound Transit at the address indicated below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of alternatives, impacts to be 
evaluated, and the preliminary purpose and need statement should be 
sent to James Irish, Link Environmental Manager, Sound Transit, 401 S. 
Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104 or by e-mail to [email protected].
    Four public scoping meetings and a governmental agency scoping 
meeting will be held in September 2006 at the dates and locations 
provided below. Oral and written comments may be given at the scoping 
meetings. All public meeting locations are accessible to persons with 
disabilities who may also request this information be prepared and 
supplied in alternate formats by calling Brooke Belman, (206) 398-5238 
at least 48-hours in advance of the meeting for Sound Transit to make 
necessary arrangement. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 
(888) 713-6030 TTY.

Public Scoping Meetings

September 13, 2006, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 
6th Street, Bellevue, WA 98004.

September 14, 2006, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Old Redmond School House 
Community Center, 16600 NE 80th Street, Redmond, WA 98073.

September 20, 2006, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Union Station, Sound Transit 
Board Room, 401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104.

September 21, 2006, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Community Center at Mercer 
View, Clarke Room, 8236 SE 24th Street, Mercer Island, WA 98040.

Agency Scoping Meeting

September 12, 2006, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th 
Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Witmer, Federal Transit 
Administration, 915 2nd Avenue, Suite 3142, Seattle, WA 98174, 
Telephone: (206) 220-7964.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description of Study Area

    The proposed extension of light rail transit in Seattle to the 
Eastside centers of Bellevue and Redmond via Interstate 90 (I-90) in 
King County, Washington, begins at the International District Station 
in downtown Seattle and goes east along I-90 across Mercer Island to 
Bellevue, north through downtown Bellevue, to the Redmond employment 
center of Overlake, and on to downtown Redmond.
    In May 2004, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the 
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and Sound 
Transit published the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations Final EIS 
which identified Alternative R-8A as the preferred alternative. Briefly 
stated, Alternative R-8A would provide one additional High Occupancy 
Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction on the outer roadways between I-5 
and Bellevue Way by restriping and, where feasible, widening the outer 
roadways within existing right-of-way while maintaining the existing 
two-lane reversible HOV operations on the center roadway. Between 
Rainier Avenue and Bellevue Way, this lane will be for the exclusive 
use of HOV traffic. R8-A also includes two new HOV direct access exit 
ramps and modifies existing HOV ramps. In August 2004 the Sound Transit 
Board executed an amendment to the 1976 Memorandum Agreement with the 
cities of Seattle, Mercer Island and Bellevue; the Municipality of 
Metropolitan Seattle; King County; and the Washington State Highway 
Commission pertaining to the design and construction of I-90 
implementing Alternative R-8A, which identifies the ultimate 
configuration for I-90 with high capacity transit (HCT) in the center 
roadway. ``HCT'' was defined in the Final EIS and 2004 amendment as ``* 
* *a transit system operating in dedicated right-of-way such as light 
rail, monorail or a substantially equivalent system.'' On September 28, 
2004, FHWA issued a Record of Decision on the project that concurs with 
WSDOT and Sound Transit in the designation of Alternative R8-A as the 
selected alternative for the I-90 Two-Way Transit and HOV Operations 
Project in Bellevue, Mercer Island and Seattle, King County, 
Washington. One reason Alternative R8-A was selected was that it would 
accommodate the ultimate configuration of I-90 with High Capacity 
Transit in the center lanes. On July 13, 2006, the Sound Transit Board 
identified light rail transit as the preferred technology for high 
capacity transit in the corridor from Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond 
via I-90 and Mercer Island. A report describing the project's planning 
history leading to this decision, East Corridor High Capacity Transit 
Mode Analysis History (July 2006), is available upon request, at area 
libraries, and on the Sound Transit Web site.

Preliminary Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Project

    The East Link project is needed because of projected population and 
business growth and increased demand for transit service connecting 
Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond. Regional urban center density plans 
assume high capacity transit investments to overcome dramatically 
increased congestion on I-90 between Seattle and Bellevue, operating 
deficiencies in transit service reliability and speed, and limited 
transit capacity and connectivity between major employment centers.
    The purpose of the East Link Project is to expand the Sound Transit 
Central Link light rail system from Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond via 
I-90 and

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Mercer Island, to provide a reliable and efficient alternative for 
moving people throughout the region. Supporting project objectives 
include improving speed and reliability and expanding capacity for 
people traveling on the region's increasingly congested roadways while 
preserving the environment; increasing mobility and accessibility to 
and from the region's highest concentrations of employment and housing; 
supporting VISION 2020 and Destination 2030 regional transportation 
plan objectives to encourage directing growth into high-density urban 
and manufacturing centers by providing high-capacity transit connection 
between these centers and with other regional destinations; fulfilling 
Sound Transit's legislative mandate to meet public transportation and 
mobility needs for high-capacity infrastructure in the central Puget 
Sound region; continuing to implement the goals and objectives 
identified in Sound Transit's Long-Range Plan; implementing the high-
capacity transit element of the I-90 Two Way Transit and HOV Operations 
Project Final EIS, FHWA's Record of Decision, and the August 2004 
Amendment to the 1976 Memorandum Agreement between King County; the 
cities of Bellevue, Seattle, and Mercer Island; the Washington State 
Transportation Commission; and Sound Transit to provide high capacity 
transit in the center lanes of I-90 between Bellevue and Seattle as 
quickly as possible; and more fully develop a regional transit system 
that would integrate with the Central Link light-rail line, providing 
direct connections among the largest urban centers in King County, 
including Bellevue, Overlake, Redmond, downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, 
and the University District.
    FTA and Sound Transit seek public and agency comment on this 
preliminary purpose and need for this proposed action. The full text of 
the preliminary purpose and need statement is included in the 
environmental scoping information report available by contacting Sound 
Transit as described below.

Alternatives

    The EIS will address the no action alternative and reasonable 
alternatives that meet the project purpose and need. The project 
corridor has been divided into 5 segments. Proposed route alternatives 
within each segment are described below.

Segment A: Seattle to South Bellevue

    Segment A consists of one route alternative from the existing 
Central Link light rail Chinatown/International District Station on to 
I-90 via the D2 roadway, a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) ramp between 
downtown Seattle and Rainier Avenue. The route would be in the center 
lanes of I-90 across Lake Washington and Mercer Island.

Segment B: South Bellevue to Downtown Bellevue

    Three Segment B alternatives leave I-90 at Bellevue Way SE. and 
follow Bellevue Way SE. north. One route continues along Bellevue Way 
SE. north all the way to downtown Bellevue. Another route alternative 
diverges from Bellevue Way SE. following 112th Avenue SE. to downtown 
Bellevue, and a third option turns east from 112th Avenue SE. to SE. 
8th Street and then follows I-405 north to downtown Bellevue. Two 
Segment B alternatives would continue east from Bellevue Way on the 
north side of I-90, one heading north in the vicinity of Lake 
Washington Boulevard/118th Avenue SE. and one heading north in the 
vicinity of the BNSF railroad. At SE. 8th Street, either alternative 
could continue north near I-405 or turn west on SE. 8th Street and then 
head north on 112th Avenue to downtown Bellevue.

Segment C: Downtown Bellevue

    Route alternatives in downtown Bellevue approach from the south, 
pass near the Bellevue Transit Center, and turn east toward Overlake 
and Redmond. The Segment B route that follows Bellevue Way SE. all the 
way downtown would continue along Bellevue Way NE. and turn east toward 
the center of downtown and the Bellevue Transit Center in the vicinity 
of NE. 6th Street. Other routes approaching downtown along 112th Avenue 
SE. or by I-405 and 118th Avenue SE. would follow 108th Avenue NE., 
110th Avenue NE., or 112th Avenue NE. Routes would turn east and cross 
I-405 near NE. 6th or NE. 7th Streets or continue through downtown, 
turning east and crossing I-405 at NE. 12th Street.

Segment D: Downtown Bellevue to Overlake Transit Center

    Segment D alternatives begin at NE. 6th, NE. 7th, or NE. 12th 
Streets and head east through the Bel-Red corridor toward the Overlake 
area of Redmond. There are several route options beginning from Segment 
C at NE. 12th Street. Alternatives follow Bel-Red Road, SR 520, or 
along a new corridor aligned with NE. 16th Avenue Street. In the 
eastern half of Segment D, route alternatives may also follow 136th 
Place NE. and NE. 20th Street. Alternatives then turn north along 151st 
Place NE, 152nd Avenue NE., or SR 520 and follow SR 520 to Overlake 
Transit Center.

Segment E: Overlake Transit Center to Redmond

    All route options in Segment E follow SR 520 diverging to serve 
downtown Redmond. Three alternatives utilize the BNSF railroad corridor 
through downtown Redmond, accessing it from West Lake Sammamish Parkway 
and Redmond Way, Leary Way, or near the SR 202 and SR 520 interchange. 
A fourth route option veers east from SR520 toward NE. 72nd Street to 
Bear Creek Parkway, crossing Redmond Way to the Bear Creek Park and 
Ride via Avondale Road NE. Two of the BNSF corridor alternatives 
continue to the east along the corridor past the Redmond Town Center 
ending near NE. 70th Street and 176th Avenue NE. The route from the SR 
202 interchange heads west along the BNSF corridor and then turns north 
at 161st Avenue NE. to the Redmond Park and Ride at NE. 83rd Street.
    Potential project termini include Bellevue near Overlake Hospital 
and Redmond at either the Overlake Transit Center or downtown Redmond, 
depending upon project cost and available funding.
The EIS Process and Role of Participating Agencies and the Public
    The purpose of the EIS process is to explore, in a public setting, 
potentially significant effects of implementing the proposed action and 
alternatives on the physical, human, and natural environment. Areas of 
investigation include, but are not limited to, transportation, land 
use, development potential, land acquisition and displacements, 
historic resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise 
and vibration, energy use, safety and security, and ecosystems, 
including threatened and endangered species. These effects will be 
evaluated for both the construction period and the long-term period of 
operation. Cumulative impacts will also be evaluated. Measures to 
avoid, minimize, or mitigate significant adverse impacts will be 
identified.
    Regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the 
recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public 
involvement in the EIS process. Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires 
that this agency: (1) Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-
Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in the 
proposed

[[Page 48972]]

project to become ``participating agencies,'' (2) provide an 
opportunity for involvement by participating agencies and the public in 
helping to define the purpose and need for a proposed project, as well 
as the range of alternatives for consideration in the impact statement, 
and (3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency 
participation in and comment on the environmental review process.
    This notice of intent constitutes an invitation to other Federal 
and non-Federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in 
the proposed project to become a participating agency in the 
environmental review process. It is also an invitation for public and 
agency involvement. A public and agency involvement Coordination Plan 
will be created. The program will include a project Web site; outreach 
to local jurisdictions and community and civic groups through a variety 
of methods; a public scoping process to define the issues of concern 
among all parties interested in the project; a public hearing on 
release of the draft environmental impact statement; and development 
and distribution of project fact sheets.
    In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a) and 771.133, FTA will comply 
with all Federal environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders 
applicable to the proposed project during the environmental review 
process to the maximum extent practicable. These requirements include, 
but are 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 project-level air quality conformity regulation of the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 93), the 
Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation 
implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 
CFR Part 800), the regulation implementing section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the DOT Act (23 CFR 
771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on environmental justice, 11988 on 
floodplain management, and 11990 on wetlands.
Scoping
    The FTA and Sound Transit invite comments from interested 
individuals, organizations, and Federal, state, regional and local 
agencies for a period of 30 days after publication of this notice. 
Comments should focus on defining the alternatives within the corridor 
to be evaluated in the EIS; identifying any significant environmental 
issues related to the alternatives; and the preliminary purpose and 
need statement as noted here. Additional reasonable alternatives 
suggested during the scoping process, including those involving other 
transit modes or route alignments, will be considered. An Environmental 
Scoping Information Report describing the project, the proposed 
preliminary alternatives and station locations, the impact areas to be 
evaluated, and the preliminary EIS schedule has been prepared. The 
Environmental Scoping Information Report also includes the preliminary 
purpose and need statement, which is summarized in this notice, as well 
as a summary of the project's planning history.
    You may request a copy of the Environmental Scoping Information 
Report by contacting Brooke Belman, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson 
Street, Seattle, WA 98104-2826, Telephone: (206) 398-5238, or E-mail: 
[email protected]. A copy of the report is also available at 
Sound Transit's Web site at http://www.soundtransit.org. A more 
detailed report on the project's planning history, including public and 
agency outreach efforts, East Corridor High Capacity Transit Mode 
Analysis History (July 2006) is also available upon request, at local 
libraries, and on the Sound Transit Web site.
    Comments: Written comments may be submitted to James Irish, Sound 
Transit Link Environmental Manager, at the address given above by 
October 2, 2006. Written comments may be made at the public scoping 
meetings. In addition, a stenographer will be available at the public 
scoping meetings to record oral comments. The dates and addresses of 
the scoping meetings are given in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections 
above.

    Issued on: August 15, 2006.
R. F. Krochalis,
Regional Administrator, Region X, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-13896 Filed 8-21-06; 8:45 am]
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