[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61703-61706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21424]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Early Scoping Notice for an Alternatives Analysis of Proposed 
Transit Improvements in the Regional Connector Transit Corridor of Los 
Angeles, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Early Scoping Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles 
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) issue this early 
scoping notice to advise other 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 improving transit capacity 
and service in and through the central core of Los Angeles, California. 
The early scoping process is part of a planning

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Alternatives Analysis (AA) required by 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) 
5309 that will lead to the selection of the alternatives that will be 
subject to the appropriate environmental process. Early scoping 
meetings have been planned and are announced below.
    The proposed Regional Connector would provide a link connecting 
several light rail service lines in operation or in construction (i.e., 
the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena, the Metro Gold Line Eastside 
Extension, the Metro Blue Line, and the Metro Expo Line). This 
connection would broaden and improve the region's public transit, 
mobility, and accessibility. The project study area within which 
various alternatives will be considered for the Regional Connector is 
situated in downtown Los Angeles, generally encompassing the area 
between the 101 Freeway on the north, 9th Street/Los Angeles Street and 
7th Street on south, the 110 Freeway on the west, and Alameda Street on 
the east.
    After selection of the alternatives by the LACMTA Board, the 
alternatives will then be the subject of the appropriate environmental 
review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). If the alternatives have 
significant impacts, an environmental impact statement (EIS), combined 
with a California environmental impact report (EIR) would be initiated 
with a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register and distribution 
of a Notice of Preparation (NOP) required under CEQA and final public 
and agency scoping of the EIS/EIR. In particular, the purpose and need 
for the project, the range of alternatives to be considered in the EIS/
EIR, the environmental and community impacts to be evaluated, and the 
methodologies to be used, would be subject to public and interagency 
review and comment, in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139 and CEQA.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the planning Alternatives 
Analysis, including the alternatives to be considered and the impacts 
to be assessed, should be sent to LACMTA at the address below by 
November 21, 2007. See ADDRESSES below for the address to which written 
public comments may be sent. Early scoping meetings to accept public 
comments on the scope of the Alternatives Analysis will be held on the 
following dates:
     Tuesday, November 6, 2007, from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. 
Central Library, Meeting Room A, 630 W. 5th St., Los Angeles, CA 90071.
     Wednesday, November 7, 2007, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
Japanese American National Museum, 369 East First Street, Los Angeles, 
CA 90012.
    The draft purpose and need for the project and the initial set of 
alternatives proposed for study will be presented at these meetings. 
The buildings and facilities used for the scoping meetings are 
accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual who requires 
special assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, to participate 
in a scoping meeting should contact Ms. Susan Gilmore, LACMTA at 213-
922-7287 or [email protected].
    Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and are also 
available on the LACMTA Web site at http://www.metro.net. Hard copies 
of the scoping materials are available from Ms. Susan Gilmore, LACMTA 
at 213-922-7287 or [email protected].
    An interagency scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 30, 
2007, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at LACMTA, One Gateway Plaza, 3rd Floor, 
Board Overflow Room, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Representatives of Native 
American tribal governments and of all Federal, State, and local 
agencies that may have an interest in any aspect of the project will be 
invited by phone letter, or e-mail.
    It should be noted that, in addition to the early scoping meetings 
described herein, the agency and scoping meetings required under NEPA 
and CEQA to identify the nature and scope of environmental issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS/EIR will be held following issuance of 
the NOI and NOP. The dates and locations for the EIR/EIS scoping 
meetings will be announced at that time and will be included in the NOI 
and NOP, which will be distributed in the same manner as this Early 
Scoping Notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this Early Scoping Notice should be sent 
to Ms. Dolores Roybal Saltarelli, AICP, Project Manager, Los Angeles 
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, Los 
Angeles, CA 90012, phone 213-922-3024, e-mail [email protected]. The 
locations of the early scoping meetings are given above under DATES.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los 
Angeles Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit Administration, 888 South 
Figueroa Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA 90017, phone 213-202-3950, 
e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Early Scoping

    The FTA and LACMTA invite all interested individuals and 
organizations, public agencies, and Native American tribes to comment 
on the scope of alternatives formulation, including the purpose and 
need for transit improvements in the corridor, the alternatives to be 
considered, and the types of impacts to be further evaluated in the 
planning Alternatives Analysis. Comments at this time should focus on 
the purpose and need for transit improvements in the corridor; 
alternatives that may be less costly or have less environmental impacts 
while achieving similar transportation objectives; and the 
identification of any significant social, economic, or environmental 
issues that should be considered in defining a range of alternatives.

Purpose and Need for the Project

    The purpose of this project is to improve the region's public 
transit service and mobility. The project would provide a link 
connecting the light rail service of the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena, 
the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, the Metro Blue Line and the 
Metro Expo Line. This link will serve communities across the region, 
allowing greater accessibility while serving a resurgent downtown Los 
Angeles. There is a need for transportation improvements within this 
study area. Originally planned as a northern extension of the Metro 
Blue Line to Pasadena, the project was deferred due to limited 
resources. Initial studies were developed and completed in 1994 and are 
available from LACMTA at One Gateway Plaza, Records Management, Los 
Angeles, CA 90012. At that time, only the Metro Blue Line and a short 
segment of the Metro Red Line Subway were in construction or in 
operation in downtown Los Angeles. By 2007, the Metro rail system had 
grown substantially, with lines in operation or under construction 
extending over 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The Metro Red Line 
from 7th Street Metro Center to Union Station currently serves as an 
interim connection between the Metro Gold Line and Metro Blue Line. 
With continued expansion and success of the Metro fixed guide-way 
system, considerations supporting the project's needs are as follows:
     Metro's increased ridership due to an expanding system 
will create capacity issues on the Metro Red Line Segment between the 
Metro Gold Line and the Metro Blue Line.
     Improved travel times through the downtown core will 
attract more riders on the transit system throughout the region.

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     The City of Los Angeles has developed a ``Centers 
Concept'' Land Use Policy which is transit based.
     There is existing, significant, dense, private and public 
developments within the study area that are regional activity centers 
and destinations including City Hall, Disney Hall, Caltrans 
Headquarters, MOCA, Federal Courts, County Courts, etc..
     Downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of a resurgence that 
includes the development of dense residential developments in the form 
of mid-high rise buildings, new entertainment districts including LA 
Live and the Grand Avenue Plan, and conversion of older underutilized 
areas into new commercial and residential uses, all in construction 
within the study area.
     Local planning guidelines and policies are supportive of 
sustainable public transportation that provides for a walkable, livable 
City of Los Angeles.
     The City of Los Angeles will experience a significant 
overall increase in population and job growth over the next 20 years.
     Increased congestion through downtown Los Angeles on the 
highway network has created support for improved high-capacity transit 
alternatives.
     Continued expansion of the transit system is creating a 
demand for increased capacity.
     Improved connectivity of a transit system has significant 
positive impacts on ridership.
     Improved connectivity of the transit system will improve 
operations.
    Comments on the preliminary purpose and need statements for the 
proposed project are requested from the public and participating 
agencies. Comments will be given full consideration.

Alternatives

    A broad range of alternatives are being considered in the AA 
process, including various transit technologies, corridor alignments, 
configurations and operations, station types and locations, and 
Transportation Systems Management (TSM) improvements. In addition to 
these various types of actions, the implications of taking no action 
(i.e., the ``no build'' alternative) will be considered in the 
analysis. The following summarizes the general types of alternatives to 
be considered in the analysis, understanding that a broad variety of 
possible alternatives, and combinations thereof, will be initially 
identified and then undergo evaluation to define the alternatives for 
advancement to the environmental process. Further description of this 
process is provided below under FTA Procedures.
    Alternative Technologies could include proven transportation 
systems based such as light rail, bus rapid transit, people movers, or 
monorail.
    Alignment Alternatives include fixed guide-way, street running at-
grade systems, aerial and underground configurations, center or side of 
street operations, and at-grade, off street alignments. Running north 
to south, alignments could include the use of some combination of 
Alameda Street, Los Angeles St., Central Avenue, San Pedro St., Main 
St., Spring St., Broadway, Hill St., Olive St., Grand Avenue, Hope St., 
Flower St., Figueroa St. Running east to west, alignments could include 
some combination of Aliso St., Temple St., 1st St., 2nd St., 3rd St., 
4th St., 5th St., 6th St., and 7th St. Station Alternatives include 
variations in the number, interval distance, location, design including 
whether above ground or below ground and whether stand-alone or 
integrated as part of another use, and operational characteristics.
    No Build Alternative includes only ``committed'' improvements--in 
the current Metro Long Range Transportation Plan and the 2030 Southern 
California Association of Governments Regional Transportation Plan--
together with minor transit service expansions and/or adjustments that 
reflect a continuation of existing service policies. For purposes of 
the Alternatives Analysis, the major fixed guideway investments under 
study for the Exposition Transit Corridor Phase 2 and Crenshaw Transit 
Corridor projects would not be included in the Future No-Build 
Alternative. The completion of the Metro Rapid Bus Program would be 
included as well as possible additional feeder bus networks to serve 
the region's major activity centers.
    Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative enhances the No 
Build Alternative and emphasizes transportation system upgrades such as 
intersection improvements, minor road widening, traffic engineering 
actions, bus route restructuring, shortened bus headways, expanded use 
of articulated buses, reserved bus lanes, contra-flow lanes for buses 
and High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs) on freeways, special bus ramps on 
freeways, expanded park/ride facilities, express and limited-stop 
service, signalization improvements, and timed-transfer operations.
    In addition to the alternatives described above, other alternatives 
identified through the early scoping process will be considered for 
potential inclusion in the Alternatives Analysis. Alternative modes, 
vertical or horizontal alignments, or station locations may emerge from 
the early scoping process.

FTA Procedures

    Early scoping is an optional element of the 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 alternative modes and major alignment 
variations are under consideration in a broadly-defined corridor. While 
NEPA scoping normally follows issuance of a notice of intent, which 
describes 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.'' See the Council on Environmental Quality's 
``Forty Most Asked Questions Concerning CEQ's National Environmental 
Policy Act Regulations,'' 46 FR 18026, 18030 (1981). In this case, the 
available information is more than adequate to permit the public and 
relevant agencies to participate effectively in early scoping and the 
planning Alternatives Analysis.
    LACMTA may seek New Starts funding for the proposed project under 
49 U.S.C. Sec.  5309 and will, therefore, be subject to New Starts 
regulation (49 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 611). The New 
Starts regulation requires a planning Alternatives Analysis that leads 
to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative by LACMTA and the 
inclusion of the locally preferred alternative in the long-range 
transportation plan adopted by the Southern California Association of 
Governments. The planning Alternatives Analysis will examine 
alignments, technologies, station locations, costs, funding, ridership, 
economic development, land use, engineering feasibility, and 
environmental factors in the corridor. The New Starts regulation also 
requires the submission of certain project-justification information in 
support of a request to initiate preliminary engineering, and this 
information is normally developed during the Alternatives Analysis. 
After a reduction of alternatives identified in the AA process, if 
preparation of an environmental impact statement is warranted, an NOI 
will be published in the Federal Register and the scoping of the EIS/
EIR will be completed by soliciting and considering comments on the 
purpose and need for the proposed action, the range of alternatives to 
be considered in the EIS/EIR, and the

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potentially significant environmental and community impacts to be 
evaluated in the EIS/EIR. Concurrent with publication of the NOI 
pursuant to NEPA, an NOP will be distributed pursuant to CEQA. In 
conjunction with this final scoping of the EIS/EIR and consistent with 
provisions of 23 U.S.C. 139 and CEQA, 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 the 
environmental review process and for commenting on the issues under 
consideration at various milestones of the process will be prepared and 
posted on the LACMTA Web site at http://www.metro.net/regionalconnector.

    Issued on: October 25, 2007.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-21424 Filed 10-30-07; 8:45 am]
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