[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39131-39133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13766]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Early Scoping Notice

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, and the Detroit Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Early Scoping Notice for the Detroit Transit Options for Growth 
Study.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Detroit 
Department of Transportation (DDOT) are issuing this early scoping 
notice to advise agencies and the public that they intend to explore, 
in the context of the Council on Environmental Quality's early scoping 
process, alternative means of implementing rapid transit improvements 
in the Detroit area in Wayne County, Michigan. Three alignments, 
described below, will be examined, largely to explore their potential 
for implementation of a major transit capital investment (New Start). 
Public scoping meetings have been planned and are announced below. This 
process may result in selection of a locally preferred alternative 
(proposed action). If preparation of an environmental impact statement 
is warranted, this early scoping process is intended to satisfy 
standard National Environmental Policy Act scoping requirements, except 
that comments on the purpose and need for the proposed action, the 
range of alternatives to be considered, and potentially significant 
impacts, as described in a forthcoming notice of intent, will be 
invited and considered.

DATES: One interagency scoping meeting and four public scoping meetings 
will be conducted on the following dates and times at the locations 
indicated:

Interagency Scoping Meeting

    Friday, July 27, 2007, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Detroit Department of 
Transportation, 1301 East Warren, Detroit, Michigan 48207.

[[Page 39132]]

Public Scoping Meetings

    Wednesday, July 25, 2007, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Guardian Building, 
Mezzanine Lobby, 500 Griswold, Detroit, Michigan 48226.
    Wednesday, July 25, 2007, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wayne State University, 
Welcome Center, 42 West Warren Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202.
    Thursday, July 26, 2007, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wayne County Community 
College, Cooper Community Center, 5901 Conner, Detroit, MI 48213.
    Saturday, July 28, 2007, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ford Community and 
Performing Arts Center, Studio A, 15801 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 
48126.
    The public scoping meetings will begin with an hour-long open house 
allowing the public to discuss the scoping process and study options 
with project staff. Handouts describing alignments, study options, and 
other aspects of contemplated rapid transit improvements will be 
available at the meetings. The meetings will be facilitated and a court 
reporter will be present to record oral comments which are welcomed. 
The scoping information will also be available on the project Web site 
at http://www.dtogs.com. American Sign Language, Arabic, and Spanish 
interpreters will be present at the public scoping meetings. The 
buildings are accessible to persons with disabilities.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this notice should be submitted by 
August 29, 2007 to: Mr. Tim Roseboom, Project Manager, Detroit 
Department of Transportation, 1301 East Warren, Detroit, Michigan 
48207, Telephone: (313) 833-7973, Fax: (313) 833-5493, E-mail: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bill Wheeler, Community Planner, 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Region V, 200 West Adams Street, 
Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606-5232, Telephone: (312) 353-2789.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Early scoping is a National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) process that is particularly useful in situations 
where, as here, a proposed action (the locally preferred alternative) 
has not been identified and multiple broad alternatives are under 
consideration in several corridors. While scoping normally follows 
issuance of a notice of intent, which must describe the proposed 
action, it ``may be initiated earlier, as long as there is appropriate 
public notice and enough information available on the proposal so that 
the public and relevant agencies can participate effectively.'' Council 
on Environmental Quality, ``Forty Most Asked Questions Concerning CEQ's 
National Environmental Policy Act Regulations,'' 46 FR 18026, 18030 
(1981) (Answer to Question 13). Available information is more than 
adequate to permit the public and relevant agencies to participate 
effectively in early scoping.

The Detroit Transit Options for Growth Study and Subsequent 
Developments

    The Detroit Transit Options for Growth (DTOG) Study identifies 14 
corridors in the study area that includes the cities of Dearborn, 
Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park and encompasses approximately 160 
square miles. The study-area population is over 1 million and estimated 
employment stands at nearly 500,000 jobs. Transit service in the study 
area is provided by buses, which have strong ridership and serve many 
people who depend on transit for their trips. The Detroit People Mover, 
a 2.9 mile elevated rail circulator in downtown Detroit, also provides 
transit service, but no rapid transit service is available within the 
study area. The DTOG Study represents a major step to promote regional 
and local rapid transit improvements in Southeast Michigan for the 
purposes of addressing existing, as well as projected congestion, and 
improving air quality, or at least not degrading it any further.
    In the summer of 2006, DDOT initiated State and local planning 
required for anticipated New Starts transit projects to be eligible for 
Federal funding assistance under 49 U.S.C. 5309. The objective of 
beginning early planning efforts was to advance the realization of 
regional and local rapid transit improvements to serve current and 
future population and employment centers and destinations by narrowing 
options developed in the DTOG Study. Following a multi-phase screening 
process that included public participation, it was determined that 
three priority corridors (of the 14 identified in the DTOG Study) would 
be advanced for further study. The three alignments include: (1) The 
Woodward Avenue Corridor from downtown Detroit to Eight Mile Road; (2) 
a combined Woodward and Michigan Avenues Corridor from downtown Detroit 
to Grand Boulevard near the New Center area and on Michigan Avenue from 
downtown Detroit to the City of Dearborn near Fairlane Mall and 
University of Michigan Dearborn; and (3) a combined Woodward and 
Gratiot Avenues Corridor from downtown Detroit to Grand Boulevard near 
the New Center area and the Gratiot Avenue Corridor from downtown 
Detroit to Eight Mile Road. It was further determined that potential 
rapid transit modes that would meet the objectives of the DTOG Study 
included Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), and modern 
streetcar. A public participation program has been developed and 
initiated with a Web site, newsletter, and public meetings and 
stakeholder meetings. A technical committee has been established and 
meets monthly.

State and Local Planning and Early Scoping

    Public planning for an anticipated New Starts transit project in 
the Detroit area continues. The public planning process resembles in 
some respects alternatives analysis required by the NEPA process, 
except that the former evaluates alternatives broadly by examining 
several modal and alignment options for addressing defined mobility 
needs in a particular corridor. Essentially, State and local planning 
produces a clearly defined project problem statement for use in New 
Starts in alternative analysis whereas consideration of project 
alternatives under NEPA calls for a concise statement of purpose and 
need. Nevertheless, to the extent that State and local planning efforts 
can lead toward a well-defined purpose and need statement and satisfy 
requirements of the NEPA process, including scoping, it should not have 
to be duplicated subsequently in that process. See 40 CFR 1506.2(b) 
(``Agencies shall cooperate with State and local agencies to the 
fullest extent possible to reduce duplication between NEPA and State 
and local requirements.''). Early scoping provides a means through 
which duplication, waste, and delay that could otherwise be experienced 
in situations such as this may be avoided.
    Future New Starts planning alternatives analysis will examine 
alignments, technologies, station locations, costs, funding, ridership, 
economic development, land use, engineering feasibility, and 
environmental factors in a selected corridor. During alternatives 
analysis, DDOT will also evaluate options for transportation 
improvements in the study area that do not involve significant capital 
investment (e.g., enhanced bus service). At the conclusion of this 
early scoping and alternatives analysis process, a locally preferred 
alternative--the ``proposed action''--will be determined, as well as 
the appropriate NEPA process--environmental assessment or environmental 
impact statement--to be undertaken for the proposed action. If 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is warranted, a notice 
of

[[Page 39133]]

intent will be published in the Federal Register and comments on the 
purpose and need for the proposed action, the range of alternatives to 
be considered, and potentially significant environmental impacts will 
be invited and considered.
    In conjunction with issuance of this notice, and consistent with 
provisions of 23 U.S.C. 139, invitations will be extended to other 
Federal and non-Federal agencies that may have an interest in this 
matter to be participating agencies. A plan for coordinating public and 
agency participation in and comment on the environmental review process 
for issues and alternatives under consideration here and at subsequent 
phases of the process will be prepared.

    Issued this 10th day of July, 2007.
Marisol R. Simon,
Regional Administrator, Region 5.
 [FR Doc. E7-13766 Filed 7-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P