[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1551-1554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-264]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the 
Bottineau Transitway Project From Minneapolis to Maple Grove in 
Hennepin County, MN

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FTA, as the lead federal agency, the Hennepin County 
Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA), and the Metropolitan Council 
intend to prepare an EIS for the proposed Bottineau Transitway project 
located along the Bottineau Transitway Corridor in Hennepin County, 
Minnesota. The proposed transitway, approximately 13 miles long, would 
connect downtown Minneapolis with North Minneapolis

[[Page 1552]]

and the northwest suburbs of the Twin Cities. The transitway would 
originate in Minneapolis near the existing Target Field Station, where 
several existing transit lines converge, and would extend to the 
following suburbs: Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, Crystal, New Hope, 
Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, and Osseo. The EIS will be prepared in 
accordance with Section 102(2)C of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA) and pursuant to the Council on Environmental 
Quality's regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-
08), as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). 
The purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties of the intent 
to prepare the EIS; provide information on the proposed transit 
project; invite public participation in the EIS process, including 
comments on the scope of the EIS proposed in this notice; and serve as 
an announcement of public and agency scoping meetings.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Brent 
Rusco, Bottineau Transitway Project Manager, on or before February 17, 
2012. See ADDRESSES below for the locations to which written comments 
may be submitted. Public scoping meetings will be held on the following 
dates, in order to solicit input on the scope of the EIS:
     January 23, 2012, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Theodore 
Wirth Chalet, 1301 Theodore Wirth Parkway, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
     January 24, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Brooklyn Park City 
Hall, 5200 85th Avenue North, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
     January 25, 2012, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Urban 
Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC), 2001 Plymouth Avenue 
North, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
     January 31, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Robbinsdale 
City Hall, 4100 Lakeview Avenue North, Robbinsdale, Minnesota.
    An interagency scoping meeting for agencies with interest in the 
project will be held on the following date:
     January 19, 2012, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Kimley-Horn 
and Associates office, 2550 University Avenue West, Suite 238N, St. 
Paul, Minnesota.
    All the scoping meetings will be accessible to persons with 
disabilities. If special translation or signing services or other 
special accommodations are needed, please contact Brent Rusco (see 
ADDRESSES below) at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. Project 
information outlining the project purpose and need, as well as 
alternatives proposed for analysis, will be available in the form of a 
scoping information packet, at the meetings and on the project Web 
site: http://bottineautransitway.org. Paper copies of the information 
may also be obtained from Brent Rusco [see ADDRESSES below].

ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of the EIS will be accepted at the 
scoping meetings, or written comments should be sent to Brent Rusco, 
Bottineau Transitway Project Manager, Hennepin County, 701 Fourth 
Avenue South, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55415, Phone: (612) 543-0579, 
Email: [email protected], Fax: (612) 348-9710.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lois Kimmelman, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, FTA Region V, Chicago, Illinois, (312) 353-4060; 
or Bill Wheeler, Community Planner, FTA Region V, Chicago, Illinois, 
(312) 353-2639.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Scoping

    The FTA, HCRRA, and the Metropolitan Council invite all interested 
individuals and organizations, public agencies, and Native American 
Tribes to comment on the scope of the EIS for the proposed Bottineau 
Transitway, including the project's purpose and need, the alternatives 
to be studied, the environmental impacts to be evaluated, and the 
evaluation methods to be used. Comments should address: (1) Feasible 
alternatives that may better achieve the project's purpose and need 
with fewer adverse impacts, and (2) any significant impacts relating to 
the alternatives.
    ``Scoping,'' as described in the regulations implementing NEPA 
(Title 40 of CFR 1501.7) has specific and fairly limited objectives, 
one of which is to identify the significant issues associated with 
alternatives that will be examined in detail in the document, while 
simultaneously limiting consideration and development of issues that 
are not truly significant. It is during the NEPA scoping process that 
potentially significant environmental impacts--those that give rise to 
the need to prepare an EIS--should be identified. Impacts that are 
deemed not to be significant need not be developed extensively in the 
context of the EIS, thereby keeping the EIS focused on impacts of 
consequence consistent with the ultimate objectives of the NEPA 
implementing regulations: ``to make the environmental impact statement 
process more useful to decision makers and the public; and to reduce 
paperwork and the accumulation of extraneous background data, in order 
to emphasize the need to focus on real environmental issues and 
alternatives * * * [by requiring] impact statements to be concise, 
clear, and to the point, and supported by evidence that agencies have 
made the necessary environmental analyses.'' (Executive Order 11991 of 
May 24, 1977.)
    Once the scope of the EIS is defined, and significant environmental 
issues to be addressed have been identified, an annotated outline of 
the EIS will be prepared that: (1) Documents the results of the scoping 
process, (2) contributes to the transparency of the process, and (3) 
provides a clear roadmap for concise development of the EIS.

Purpose and Need for the Project

    The purpose of the Bottineau Transitway is to provide transit 
service which will satisfy the long-term regional mobility and local 
accessibility needs for businesses and the traveling public. Residents 
and businesses in the Bottineau Transitway project area need access to 
the region's activity centers to fully participate in the region's 
economy. Access to jobs in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the University of 
Minnesota, and the growing Minneapolis suburbs is crucial. Traffic 
congestion is expected to intensify in the Twin Cities Metropolitan 
Area through 2030 and beyond, and it cannot be addressed by highway 
construction alone. Current transit service in the Bottineau Transitway 
offers a limited number of viable alternatives to personal vehicles. 
Without major transit investments, it will be difficult to effectively 
meet the transportation needs of people and businesses in the corridor, 
manage highway traffic congestion in the project area, and achieve the 
region's 2030 Transportation Policy Plan (TPP) goal of doubling transit 
ridership by 2030.
    Five factors contribute to the need for the Bottineau Transitway 
project:
     Growing travel demand resulting from continuing growth in 
population and employment.
     Increasing traffic congestion and limited funding.
     Growing numbers of people who depend on transit.
     Limited transit service to suburban jobs (reverse commute 
opportunities) and travel-time competitive transit options.
     Regional objectives for growth.

Project Location of Environmental Setting

    The project is located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, and includes

[[Page 1553]]

downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its northwest suburbs, including 
Robbinsdale, Golden Valley, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Park, Maple 
Grove, and Osseo.

Possible Alternatives

    The Bottineau Transitway Alternatives Analysis (AA) Study was 
completed by HCRRA in March 2010. The AA Study evaluated a no-build 
alternative and a broad range of build alternatives, including an 
enhanced bus/transportation system management alternative, as well as 
commuter rail, light rail transit (LRT), and bus rapid transit (BRT) 
alternatives. The study progressively narrowed down the build 
alternatives to a set of 21 alternatives which underwent detailed 
evaluation. The AA Study is posted on the project Web site.
    The following alternatives are currently under consideration for 
further study in the EIS:
    No-Build Alternative. The No-Build alternative serves as the 
baseline against which environmental effects of the Bottineau 
Transitway build alternatives are measured. It is defined as the 
existing transportation system in the Bottineau Transitway Corridor, 
plus any committed transportation improvements in the region, i.e., 
those roadway, transit facility, and service improvements that are 
planned, programmed, and included in the TPP, and that are to be 
implemented by the year 2030. The No-Build Alternative does not include 
the Bottineau Transitway project. It does include major regional 
transit projects such as the Green Line (Central Corridor LRT and 
Southwest Transitway LRT), Red Line (Cedar Avenue BRT), and the Orange 
Line (I-35W BRT), as well as minor transit service expansions and/or 
adjustments in order to continue existing Metropolitan Council service 
policies.
    Enhanced Bus/Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative. 
The TSM alternative is defined as enhancements and upgrades to the 
existing transportation system in the Bottineau Transitway Corridor, 
such that the project's purpose and need would be met as much as 
possible without a major capital investment. The TSM alternative could 
include bus route restructuring, scheduling improvements, new express 
and limited-stop services, intersection improvements, and other focused 
infrastructure improvements that would heighten the functioning of the 
current transit system. The specific combination of improvements to be 
incorporated into this alternative will be developed during EIS 
process.
    Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alternatives. All LRT alternatives would 
include several station stops between downtown Minneapolis and the 
Maple Grove/Brooklyn Park area. These alternatives, which would follow 
West Broadway, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail corridor, 
and Olson Memorial Highway and/or Penn Avenue, would include tracks, 
stations and support facilities, as well as transit service for LRT and 
connecting bus routes.
    Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Alternative. The BRT alternative would 
include a busway in its own dedicated space (guideway) with several 
stations between downtown Minneapolis and the Brooklyn Park area. This 
alternative, which would follow West Broadway, the BNSF rail corridor, 
and Olson Memorial Highway, would include all facilities associated 
with the construction and operation of BRT, including right-of-way, 
travel lanes, stations, and support facilities, as well as transit 
service for BRT and connecting bus routes.

Possible Effects

    The purpose of the EIS process is to study, in a public setting, 
the potentially significant effects of the proposed project on the 
quality of the human environment. Primary areas of investigation for 
this project include, but are not limited to: Land use and economic 
development; land acquisition, displacements, and relocation; 
neighborhood cohesion and environmental justice; historic resources; 
parklands; visual and aesthetic qualities; air quality; water quality, 
wetlands, and floodplains; wildlife/endangered species and ecosystems; 
noise; vibration; hazardous materials affected by demolition and 
construction activities; traffic circulation and transportation 
linkages; parking; pedestrian and bicycle connections; energy use; and 
safety and security. Effects will be evaluated in the context of both 
short-term construction and long-term operation of the proposed 
project. Direct project effects as well as indirect and cumulative 
effects on the environment will be addressed. The environmental 
analysis may reveal that the proposed project will not affect, or 
affect substantially, many of the primary areas of investigation. 
However, if any adverse impacts are identified, measures to avoid, 
minimize, or mitigate those adverse effects will be proposed.

Procedures for Public and Agency Involvement

    The regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of 
SAFETEA-LU, call for public involvement in the EIS process. Section 
6002 of SAFETEA-LU (23 U.S.C. 139) requires that FTA, HCRRA, and the 
Metropolitan Council do the following: (1) Extend an invitation to 
other federal and non-federal agencies and Native American tribes that 
may have an interest in the proposed project to become ``participating 
agencies;'' (2) provide an opportunity for involvement by participating 
agencies and the public to help define the purpose and need for 
proposed project, as well as the range of alternatives for 
consideration in the EIS; and (3) establish a plan for coordinating 
public and agency participation in, and comment on) the environmental 
review process. An invitation to become a participating or cooperating 
agency, with scoping materials appended, will be extended to other 
federal and non-federal agencies and Native American tribes that may 
have an interest in the proposed project. It is possible that FTA, 
HCRRA, and the Metropolitan Council will not be able to identify all 
federal and non-federal agencies and Native American tribes that may 
have such an interest. Any federal or non-federal agency or Native 
American tribes interested in the proposed project that does not 
receive an invitation to become a participating agency should notify at 
the earliest opportunity the Project Manager identified above under 
ADDRESSES.
    A comprehensive public involvement program for public and agency 
involvement will be developed for the project and posted on the project 
Web site. The public involvement program includes a full range of 
activities including maintaining the project Web site, and outreach to 
local officials, community and civic groups, and the general public.

Paperwork Reduction

    The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to minimize the cost to 
the taxpayer of the creation, collection, maintenance, use, 
dissemination, and disposition of information. Consistent with this 
goal and with principles of economy and efficiency in government, it is 
FTA policy to limit insofar as possible distribution of complete 
printed sets of environmental documents. Accordingly, unless a specific 
request for a complete printed set of environmental documents is 
received before the document is printed, at the latest, FTA and its 
grantees will distribute only the executive summary of environmental 
documents in printed form together with a compact disc (CD) that 
contains the complete environmental document. A complete

[[Page 1554]]

printed set of the environmental documents will be available for review 
at the grantee's offices and elsewhere; an electronic copy of the 
complete environmental document will also be available on the grantee's 
Web site.

Other

    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with NEPA and its 
implementing regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality 
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and with the FTA/Federal Highway 
Administration regulations ``Environmental Impact and Related 
Procedures'' (23 CFR part 771).

    Issued on: January 5, 2012.
Marisol Simon,
Regional Administrator, FTA, Region V.
[FR Doc. 2012-264 Filed 1-9-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P