[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10090-10092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3525]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Central 
Corridor Light Rail Transit Project, Located in Minneapolis and Saint 
Paul, MN

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (SDEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in cooperation with 
the Metropolitan Council is issuing this notice to advise interested 
agencies and the public of its intent to prepare a Supplemental Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the proposed Central 
Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, located in Minneapolis and 
Saint Paul, Minnesota (the ``Project''). The SDEIS will be prepared in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as 
provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation 
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The SDEIS will evaluate 
potential changes to the Central Corridor LRT Project since the 
publication of the April 21, 2006 Alternatives Analysis/Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) and disclose new information 
that is being developed during the preliminary engineering process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Marisol Simon, Regional 
Administrator, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Region V, 200 West 
Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Telephone: (312) 353-
2789.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed action should be sent to Ms. 
Kathryn L. O'Brien, AICP, Project Manager, Central Corridor Project 
Office, 540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S, Saint Paul, MN 55104, 
Telephone: 651-602-1927; E-mail:

[[Page 10091]]

[email protected] and Mr. David Werner at FTA, Region V, 
200 West Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Telephone: 
(312) 353-2789; E-mail: [email protected] by March 26, 2008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: The Metropolitan Council is proposing transportation 
improvements in the Central Corridor linking Minneapolis and Saint 
Paul. The Central Corridor is 11-miles in length of which 9.8 miles 
consists of new alignment and 1.2 miles uses the existing Hiawatha LRT 
alignment in downtown Minneapolis. It will connect the Minneapolis and 
Saint Paul downtown areas as well as the University of Minnesota and 
the State Capitol complex. The purpose of the Project is to meet the 
future transit needs of the Central Corridor and the Region and to 
support the economic development goals for the Corridor. It allows the 
opportunity to provide a direct connection to the existing 11.6-mile 
Hiawatha LRT line in Minneapolis, thereby increasing mobility options 
within the Region.
    The AA/DEIS Notice of Intent was published in the Federal Register 
on June 5, 2001 and the notice of the availability of the AA/DEIS for 
review and comment was published in the Federal Register on April 21, 
2006. In April 2006, the Central Corridor AA/DEIS was distributed for 
public review and comment (No. 20060147, ERP No. D-FTA-F40434-MN). The 
AA/DEIS provided a comprehensive examination of alignments, LRT and 
Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) technologies, and a Baseline Alternative 
for the Central Corridor. Based on findings from the AA/DEIS and on 
public and agency input received during the process, the Metropolitan 
Council adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for the Central 
Corridor, namely Light Rail Transit, operating on Washington and 
University Avenues, on June 28, 2006 (Metropolitan Council Resolution 
No. 2006-15).
    Proposed Changes to the LPA: A supplemental DEIS is being prepared 
because key changes to the LPA as previously defined are being 
considered. In response to comments received on the AA/DEIS and the 
Project subsequent to the selection of the LPA, several design options 
for key project elements are being considered. These options reflect 
conditions that exist within the Corridor, technical and operational 
constraints, major infrastructure requirements that were not fully 
documented in the AA/DEIS, physical conditions that have changed within 
the corridor since the AA/DEIS, and substantive comments received 
during the AA/DEIS public comment period. The SDEIS will document and 
disclose potential impacts relating to key project elements that have 
changed and/or remain uncertain since issuance of the AA/DEIS, 
including but not limited to:
    1. Hiawatha/Central Connection: Alternative alignments connecting 
to the existing Hiawatha LRT tracks will be evaluated.
    2. University of Minnesota Alignment (tunnel vs. at-grade and 
stations): The LPA included a tunnel, primarily under Washington 
Avenue, as the preferred alignment alternative through the University 
of Minnesota campus. The SDEIS will examine the impacts of an at-grade 
alignment alternative through the East Bank of the University of 
Minnesota campus and modifications to the tunnel alignment, as well as 
an alignment change through this segment of the line, largely due to 
the new University of Minnesota stadium presently under construction on 
the LPA alignment.
    3. Potential Additional Station at Hamline, Victoria or Western: 
The impact of adding a station to the Central Corridor LRT project at 
Hamline, Victoria or Western avenues in the City of Saint Paul will be 
evaluated.
    4. Capitol Area Alignment/Stations: Potential changes to the 
alignment and location of stations within Saint Paul's Capitol Area 
Architectural and Planning Board area will be documented and disclosed.
    5. Downtown Saint Paul alignment/station modifications: Alternative 
means of accessing Saint Paul's Union Depot, including potential 
impacts to LRT station location and alignment will be documented and 
disclosed.
    6. Traction power substations: The AA/DEIS discussed the need for 
traction power substations as part of LRT operations, but did not 
identify the number or potential location(s) of substations. The SDEIS 
will document and disclose this information.
    7. 3-car train requirement: The impacts of potential 3-car train 
operations on the Central Corridor will be evaluated.
    8. Vehicle maintenance facility: The need for and impacts of 
constructing a storage and maintenance facility to serve the 
operational needs of the Central Corridor LRT project will be 
documented and disclosed.
    9. Washington Avenue Bridge: The need for and impacts of 
modifications and/or improvements required to the Washington Avenue 
Bridge for LRT purposes will be documented and disclosed.
    10. Other key project elements determined through the on-going 
decision-making process to have potential significant impacts to human 
and natural environments.
    The SDEIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the 
Public: The SDEIS will assist the Metropolitan Council, FTA, resource 
agencies, key project partners and the general public in understanding 
and resolving key project elements within the context of NEPA. The 
purpose of the SDEIS process is to explore in a public setting 
potentially significant effects of implementing proposed changes to the 
LPA on the physical, human, and natural environment. Areas of 
investigation include, but are not limited to, land use, historic and 
archaeological resources, visual and aesthetic qualities, traffic and 
parking, modification to existing bridges, noise and vibration, 
environmental justice, regulatory floodway/floodplain encroachments, 
coordination with transportation and economic development projects, and 
construction impacts. Other issues to be addressed in the SDEIS 
include: Natural areas, ecosystems, rare, threatened and endangered 
species, water resources, air/surface water and groundwater quality, 
energy, potentially contaminated sites, displacements and relocations, 
Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and Section 6(f) 
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and secondary and 
cumulative effects. The SDEIS is not intended to repeat all the 
analyses contained in the project's AA/DEIS. Most analyses would be 
limited to the study area corresponding to key project elements 
currently identified and outlined above, as well as other project 
elements that have yet to be identified and may arise during the 
current decision-making process. Potential impacts will be evaluated 
for both the short-term construction period and the long-term effects 
of operations. Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant 
adverse impacts will be identified.
    Notices regarding the intent to prepare the SDEIS and soliciting 
input will be sent to the appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies that have expressed or are known to have an interest or legal 
role in this proposed action. A comprehensive public involvement 
program has been developed to engage private organizations, citizens, 
and interest groups in the process. The program includes an active 
Community Advisory

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Committee (CAC), a Business Advisory Council (BAC), a Central Corridor 
Management Committee (CCMC) and a Project Advisory Committee (PAC). A 
Central Corridor project Web site has been created and can be found at: 
http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/centralcorridor.htm. Community outreach coordinators are available to 
work with residents, businesses and interested individuals along the 
entirety of the corridor at: http://www.metrocouncil.org/transportation/ccorridor/CCstaff.htm. Notices of public meetings have 
been and will continue to be given through a variety of media providing 
the time and place of the meeting along with other relevant 
information. When complete, the SDEIS will be distributed and available 
for public and agency review and comment prior to any public hearings. 
Following publication, review, and approval of the SDEIS, a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will be prepared and circulated. 
The FEIS will identify a final preferred alternative and any necessary 
mitigation commitments.
    In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105 (a) and 771.133, the Metropolitan 
Council and 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 regulations 
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 
Section 771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on Environmental Justice, 
11988 on Floodplain Management, and 11990 on Wetlands.
    Comments and questions concerning the proposed action should be 
directed to Ms. Kathryn L. O'Brien, AICP, Project Manager, Central 
Corridor Project Office, 540 Fairview Ave. North, Suite 200S, Saint 
Paul, MN 55104, Telephone: 651-602-1927; E-mail: 
[email protected]

    Dated: February 13, 2008.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region V.
[FR Doc. E8-3525 Filed 2-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P