[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 169 (Wednesday, September 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45518-45519]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21199]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Notice of Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public 
Transportation Projects

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of limitation on claims.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Downtown Boise Multimodal 
Center Project, Boise, Idaho; Ketchikan Shipyard Improvement Project, 
Ketchikan, Alaska; Colorado Springs Transportation Station, Colorado 
Springs, Colorado; and Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project, 
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. The purpose of this notice is to 
announce publicly the environmental decisions by FTA on the subject 
projects and to activate the limitation on any claims that may 
challenge these final environmental actions.

DATES: By this notice, FTA is advising the public of final agency 
actions subject to section 139(l) of Title 23, United States Code 
(U.S.C.). A claim seeking judicial review of the FTA actions announced 
herein for the listed public transportation projects will be barred 
unless the claim is filed on or before March 1, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl Bausch, Environmental Protection 
Director, Office of Planning and Environment, 202-366-1626, or 
Christopher Van Wyk, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Chief Counsel, 202-
366-1733. FTA is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 
20590. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that FTA has taken 
final agency actions by issuing certain approvals for the public 
transportation projects listed below. The actions on these projects, as 
well as the laws under which such actions were taken, are described in 
the documentation issued in connection with the project to comply with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and in other documents in 
the FTA administrative record for the project. The final agency 
environmental decision document--a Record of Decision (ROD) or Finding 
of No Significant Impact (FONSI)--for each listed project is available 
online at http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/environment/planning_environment_documents.html or may be obtained by contacting the FTA 
Regional Office for the metropolitan area where the project is located. 
Contact information for FTA's Regional Offices may be found at http://www.fta.dot.gov.
    This notice applies to all FTA decisions on the listed projects as 
of the issuance date of this notice and all laws under which such 
actions were taken, including, but not limited to, NEPA [42 U.S.C. 
4321-4375], section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act of 
1966 [49 U.S.C. Sec.  303], section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act [16 U.S.C. 470f], and the Clean Air Act [42 U.S.C. 
7401-7671q]. This notice does not, however, alter or extend the 
limitation period of 180 days for challenges of project decisions 
subject to previous notices published in the Federal Register.
    The projects and actions that are the subject of this notice are:
    1. Project name and location: Downtown Boise Multimodal Center 
Project, Boise Idaho. Project sponsor: Valley Regional Transit. Project 
description: The multimodal center will be located on the [frac12]-
block site east of North 11th Street, between West Idaho and West 
Bannock Streets in the western part of the Boise central business 
district. The multimodal center will include off- and on-street bus 
bays (12 bays total), a passenger plaza and sheltered waiting areas, 
transit information kiosks, public restrooms and operator break 
facilities, bicycle storage, public art, vanpool and carpool drop-off/
pick-up areas, a taxi stand and auto drop-off/pick-up area, and retail 
space. In addition, a planned joint development component of the 
project would include air space development above the multimodal 
facility for parking. The parking structure would include approximately 
500 parking spaces in a new five- to six-story parking structure. Final 
agency actions: Section 106 finding of no adverse effect; project-level 
air quality conformity determination; no use of section 4(f) 
properties; and a FONSI dated July 2009. Supporting documentation: 
Downtown Boise Multimodal Center Environmental Assessment (EA) dated 
June 2009.
    2. Project name and location: Ketchikan Shipyard Improvement 
Project, Ketchikan, Alaska. Project sponsor: Alaska Industrial 
Development and Export Authority (AIDEA). Project description: The 
Ketchikan Shipyard Improvement Project (the Project) in Ketchikan, 
Alaska will implement planned improvements to the Ketchikan Shipyard, 
which is used to maintain the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet. These 
improvements include two new enclosed work halls; a production complex; 
a steel fabrication shop; improvements to the existing paint and 
blasting facilities; new operations and business buildings; 
installation of a new oily water separator and wastewater treatment 
facility; warehouse and hazardous material storage building expansions; 
installation of guard shacks, fencing and modifications to existing 
fencing for security purposes; utilities upgrades; and improvements to 
traffic flow in and around the facility. The Project would provide a 
broad mix of repairs of existing facilities and new

[[Page 45519]]

construction and would enable the shipyard to meet the needs of the 
publicly owned marine transit system. Final agency actions: Section 106 
determination of no historic properties affected, March 27, 2009; no 
use of section 4(f) property; and FONSI dated July 16, 2009. Supporting 
documentation: EA for the Ketchikan Shipyard Improvement Project signed 
June 12, 2009.
    3. Project name and location: Colorado Springs Downtown 
Transportation Station, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Project sponsor: 
City of Colorado Springs Transit Services Division-Mountain 
Metropolitan Transit. Project description: The project involves the 
construction of a new downtown transportation station, located 
southwest of the existing station at South Sierra Madre Street and West 
Vermijo Avenue, to serve the City's Mountain Metropolitan Transit 
fixed-route (Metro) service. It will provide access and serve as a 
convenient multimodal transfer point for the Front Range Express (FREX) 
commuter bus service, proposed streetcar, proposed Front Range Commuter 
Rail, and other travel modes. Final agency actions: Section 106 
determination of no historic properties affected; project-level air 
quality conformity determination; and FONSI dated July 14, 2009. 
Supporting documentation: EA for the Colorado Springs Downtown Station 
dated June 1, 2009.
    4. Project name and location: Central Corridor Light Rail Transit 
Project, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Project sponsor: Metropolitan 
Council. Project description: The project entails the construction of 
10.9 miles of light rail transit (LRT) between St. Paul and Minneapolis 
with service to the University of Minnesota and the State Capitol 
complex, including 9.7 miles of newly constructed guideway and 1.2 
miles shared with the existing Hiawatha LRT. There will be twenty 
stations along the line including five shared with the existing 
Hiawatha LRT. The project will be primarily at-grade except for a new 
aerial structure over Interstate Highway I-35W, the use of existing 
bridges over Trunk Highway 280 (TH 280) and Interstate Highway I-94, 
and the existing Washington Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River. 
Below grade infrastructure to allow for later construction of three 
future infill stations will be provided and an operations and 
maintenance facility will be constructed. The project will also include 
modifications to the Washington Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi 
River to improve current bridge conditions and to provide for LRT 
operations, and conversion of Washington Avenue on the University of 
Minnesota's East Bank Campus to a transit/pedestrian mall extending 
from Walnut Street to Pleasant Street. Final agency actions: Section 
106 Programmatic Agreement dated June 15, 2009; section 4(f) findings; 
project-level air quality conformity determination; and Record of 
Decision dated August 18, 2009. Supporting documentation: Central 
Corridor Light Rail Transit Project Final Environmental Impact 
Statement dated June 18, 2009.

    Issued on August 27, 2009.
Susan Borinsky,
Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. E9-21199 Filed 9-1-09; 8:45 am]
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