[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 167 (Tuesday, August 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52128-52131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21222]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Environmental Assessment for the I-20 East Transit Initiative in the 
City of Atlanta and DeKalb County, GA

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Environmental Assessment (EA).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan 
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) intend to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for MARTA's I-20 East Transit 
Initiative project, which would extend the existing east-west rail line 
from the Indian Creek Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern 
DeKalb County and an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a new Bus Rapid 
Transit (BRT) service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta and a new 
station at Wesley Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb County. The EIS 
and EA will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), 
and will also address the requirements of other federal and state 
environmental laws. The extension of the existing MARTA east-west rail 
line and the new BRT service along I-20 were selected as the Locally 
Preferred Alternative (LPA) based on a two year Detailed Corridor 
Analysis (DCA) completed in April 2012. The DCA revisited the analysis 
and conclusions of the I-20 East Corridor Study Alternatives Analysis 
(AA) completed in 2004 and complied with FTA's New Starts project 
development process.
    The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to advise interested 
agencies and the public regarding the plan to prepare the EIS and EA, 
to provide information on the nature of the proposed transit project, 
to invite participation in the NEPA process, including comments on the 
scope of the EIS and EA proposed in this notice, and to announce where 
and when public scoping meetings will be conducted. Scoping meetings 
are an opportunity for government agencies, affected stakeholders, and 
the general public to provide input and feedback on the project Purpose 
and Need, the alternatives to be studied, as well as to identify any 
significant physical, cultural, natural, and social environmental 
issues within the study area.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the EIS and 
EA must be sent to Janide Sidifall, Project Manager, MARTA by October 
15, 2012.
    Scoping Meetings: Public scoping meetings will be held on September 
10, 11, and 13 at locations within the study area. These meetings will 
be the fourth round of public outreach meetings held for the I-20 East 
Transit Initiative, and are an opportunity for MARTA to present the I-
20 East LPA to the public. The times and locations of these meetings 
are indicated under ADDRESSES below. Interagency scoping meetings will 
be held in September, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Written Comments: Written comments on the scope of the EIS 
and EA, including the project's Purpose and Need, the impacts to be 
evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the

[[Page 52129]]

evaluations, must be sent to Janide Sidifall, Project Manager, MARTA, 
2424 Piedmont Road NE., Atlanta, GA 30324-3330. Comments may also be 
offered at the public scoping meetings. Written comments should be 
submitted within two weeks of the final scoping meeting or 30 days 
within the publication of the final NOI, whichever is later.
    Scoping Meetings: The dates, times, and locations for the public 
scoping meetings are:
    Meeting 1: Monday, September 10, 2012, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Trees 
Atlanta 225 Chester Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30316
    Meeting 2: Tuesday, September 11, 2012, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Porter 
Sanford III Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur, 
Georgia 30034
    Meeting 3: Thursday, September 13, 2012, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Lou 
Walker Senior Center, 2538 Panola Road, Lithonia, GA 30058
    The appropriate federal, state, and local agencies will be notified 
individually about the time and location of the interagency scoping 
meeting.
    The locations of the public scoping meetings are accessible to 
persons with disabilities. If translation, signing services, or other 
special accommodations are needed, please contact Jen Price at (404) 
377-9147 or for hearing impaired TTY 404-848-5665 at least 48 hours 
before the meeting. A scoping information booklet will be available one 
week prior to the meetings on the project web site at: http://www.itsmarta.com/120-east-corr.aspx. Copies will also be available at 
the scoping meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian C. Smart, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Federal Transit Administration--Region IV, 230 
Peachtree Street, NW--Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30303, Telephone: (404) 
865-5607; Facsimile: (404) 865-5490; Email: [email protected]; or 
Janide Sidifall, Office of Transit Systems Planning, MARTA, 2424 
Piedmont Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30324-3330, Telephone: (404) 848-5828; 
Facsimile (404) 848-5132; Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scoping

    FTA and MARTA will undertake a scoping process that will allow the 
public and interested agencies to comment on the scope of the 
environmental review process. Scoping is the process of determining the 
scope, focus, and content of the EIS and EA. NEPA scoping has specific 
objectives, identifying the significant issues that will be examined in 
detail during the EIS and EA, while simultaneously limiting 
consideration and development of issues that are not truly significant. 
FTA and MARTA invite all interested individuals and organizations, 
public agencies, and Native American tribes to comment on the scope of 
the EIS and EA. To facilitate public and agency comment, a Scoping 
Information Packet will be prepared for review. Included in this packet 
will be descriptions of: the Purpose and Need for the project; the 
alternatives to be studied; the impacts to be assessed; and the draft 
public outreach and agency coordination plan.

Description of Proposed Projects and Study Areas

    The first phase of the I-20 East Transit Initiative was a two year 
long DCA. This DCA built upon the transit studies previously completed 
in the corridor and conformed with FTA's New Starts project development 
process. The DCA identified and evaluated transit improvements in the 
I-20 East Corridor from downtown Atlanta to the Mall at Stonecrest, in 
eastern DeKalb County. The result of the DCA was an LPA which includes 
the extension of the existing east-west heavy rail transit (HRT) line 
from the Indian Creek Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern 
DeKalb County and a new BRT service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta 
and a new station at Wesley Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb 
County.
    The EIS, which will focus on the HRT extension, has a study area 
that extends from the MARTA Indian Creek Station south for 3.5 miles 
along I-285, then east for approximately 8.5 miles to the Mall at 
Stonecrest. The EA, which will focus on the new BRT service, has a 
study area that extends from the MARTA Five Points Station in downtown 
Atlanta, south along surface streets to I-20, then east along I-20 for 
approximately 11.5 miles to Wesley Chapel Road in DeKalb County. Both 
study areas will extend up to \1/2\ mile on each side of the alignment 
in order to evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts 
associated with the implementation of transit in the corridor.

Project Purpose and Need

    The purpose of the proposed project is to enhance east-west 
mobility and improve transit accessibility to residential areas and 
employment centers within the corridor. The existing and future roadway 
congestion in the I-20 East corridor will have an increasingly 
detrimental effect on automobile and bus transit travel in the 
corridor. The proposed transit investments are intended to improve 
travel times and travel reliability by providing a rapid transit 
service for commuters traveling to and from central Atlanta.
    The need for the proposed project is based on the following 
considerations of the I-20 East Corridor. There is a need for improved 
mobility and accessibility in the corridor, as traffic congestion 
causes delay and slow travel times and there is inadequate access to 
downtown Atlanta and other employment centers; there is a need for 
additional travel options in the corridor, which has limited east-west 
roadways, making I-20 the primary choice for east-west travel in the 
corridor, and only a limited number of roadway transportation projects 
or capacity improvements are planned in the corridor to accommodate 
growth; there is a need for improved transit service in the corridor, 
which is insufficient for a growing demand, as it consists primarily of 
local and express buses operating in normal traffic, and which provides 
limited transportation options for traditionally underserved 
populations such as minority, low income, transit dependent, and 
elderly populations; and finally, there is a need to support land use 
and land and economic development goals within the corridor, areas of 
which are in need of revitalization.

Study Alternatives

    MARTA recently completed a two year long DCA that evaluated 
potential alignments and transit technologies for transit improvements 
in the I-20 East Corridor. From multiple alignment and transit 
technology alternatives, an LPA was selected and adopted by the MARTA 
Board of Directors in April 2012. The EIS and EA will evaluate vertical 
and horizontal alternatives of the adopted LPA as well as a No-Build 
alternative. These LPA and No-Build alternatives are described as 
follows:
    1. No Build Alternative: This alternative reflects the existing 
transportation system plus any committed transportation projects. This 
alternative does not include a major transit investment in the I-20 
East Corridor as proposed in the LPA. The No Build Alternative includes 
only existing or committed MARTA and GRTA local and express bus service 
in the corridor and any other transportation investment included in the 
Atlanta Regional Commission's (ARC) long-range transportation plan. ARC 
is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Atlanta 
urbanized area. NEPA requires the consideration of a No Build 
Alternative as a means of comparing and evaluating

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the impacts and benefits of the Build Alternative.
    2. Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA): The LPA, as adopted by the 
MARTA Board of Directors, includes two projects:
    a. (1) The extension of the existing east-west heavy rail transit 
(HRT) line from the Indian Creek Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in 
southeast DeKalb County and
    b. (2) New BRT service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta and a 
new BRT station at Wesley Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb County. 
While the HRT and BRT portions of the LPA both address the need for 
improved mobility and transit service in the I-20 East Corridor, they 
represent significantly different transit investments and modes.
    For this reason, the HRT extension will be evaluated as the Build 
Alternative in the EIS and the BRT service will be evaluated as the 
Build Alternative in the EA. However, since the adopted LPA is a 
combination of both HRT and BRT, the EIS and EA will be undertaken 
concurrently with all public outreach presenting information and 
analysis for both.
    The Build Alternative to be evaluated in the EIS is the extension 
of the existing MARTA east-west HRT line from the Indian Creek Station, 
south parallel to I-285, then east parallel to I-20 to the Mall at 
Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County. The HRT service would include new 
stations at Covington Highway, Wesley Chapel Road, Panola Road, 
Lithonia Industrial Blvd., and the Mall at Stonecrest. The HRT 
alignment would generally be located adjacent to the interstate and 
would utilize Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) right-of-way 
wherever possible.
    The Build Alternative to be evaluated in the EA is a new BRT 
service between downtown Atlanta and Wesley Chapel Road, operating in 
HOV lanes on I-20 as much as possible and utilizing surface streets 
within downtown Atlanta. The BRT service would be a fixed-route, 
branded, high frequency, all day service utilizing transit stations 
rather than typical bus stops. From east to west, the BRT service would 
start at the proposed Wesley Chapel Road HRT/BRT station and utilize 
the HOV lanes and transit/HOV interchanges to access stations at 
Candler Road and Gresham Road, then serve stations at Glenwood Avenue, 
Moreland Avenue, and Bill Kennedy Way/Atlanta BeltLine before 
terminating at the Five Points Station in downtown Atlanta. The service 
would utilize arterial BRT enhancements such as Transit Signal Priority 
(TSP) and queue jumper lanes to maximize the efficiency of surface 
street operations where necessary.

Scope of Environmental Analysis

    FTA and MARTA will evaluate both project-specific and secondary and 
cumulative effects to the physical, cultural, natural, and social 
environment in the I-20 East Corridor. The permanent, long-term effects 
to the region could include effects to traffic and transportation; land 
use and socioeconomics; visual character and aesthetics; noise and 
vibration; historical and archaeological resources; community impacts; 
and natural resources. Temporary impacts during construction of the 
project could include effects to air quality; noise and vibration; 
natural resources; and contaminated and hazardous materials.
    In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105 (a) and 771.133, 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, FTA 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), and 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) and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act 
(23 CFR 771.135)), the regulation implementing Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part 402) Executive Orders 12898 
regarding minority and low-income populations, 11988 on floodplain 
management, and 11990 on wetlands, the Clean Water Act and the Clean 
Air Act of 1970, along with other applicable Federal and State 
regulations. Opportunities for comment on the potential effects to be 
studied will be provided to the public, and comments received will be 
considered in the development of the final scope and content of the 
environmental documents.

Procedures

    The regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of 
SAFETEA-LU, call for public involvement in the NEPA process. In 
accordance with Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU, FTA and MARTA will: (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'' (any interested party that 
does not receive an invitation to become a participating agency can 
notify any of the contact persons listed earlier in this NOI); (2) 
Provide opportunity for involvement by participating agencies and the 
public to help define the Purpose and Need for the proposed project, as 
well as the range of alternatives for consideration in the EIS and EA; 
and (3) Establish a plan for coordinating public and agency 
participation in, and comment on, the environmental review process.
    It is possible that we may not be able to identify all Federal and 
non-federal agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in the 
proposed project. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or Indian tribe 
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 Public Involvement Plan and an Agency Coordination Plan will be 
developed outlining public and agency involvement for the project. 
These will be available on the project Web site or through written 
request. Opportunities for comment will be provided throughout the NEPA 
process, including public and agency meetings, the project Web site 
http://www.itsmarta.com/120-east-corr.aspx, a mailing address 
(identified above under ADDRESSES), and project newsletters. Comments 
received from any of these sources will be considered in the 
development of the final scope and content of the environmental 
documents.
    With the publication of this NOI, the scoping process for the 
project begins. After the publication of the Draft Scoping Document, a 
public comment period will begin, allowing the public to offer input on 
the scope of the EIS and EA until October 15, 2012. Public comments 
will be received through those methods explained earlier in this NOI 
and will be incorporated into a Final Scoping Document. This document 
will detail the scope of the EIS and EA as well as the potential 
environmental effects that will be considered during the study period. 
After the completion of the Draft EIS and EA, another public commenting 
period will allow for input on the EIS and EA, and these comments will 
be incorporated into the Final EIS and EA/Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) reports before publication.
    FTA may identify a locally preferred alternative in the DEIS when 
made available for public and agency comments. Public hearings on the 
DEIS

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will be held in DeKalb County. On the basis of the DEIS and the public 
and agency comments received, FTA will identify the locally preferred 
alternative in the FEIS. The FEIS will serve as the basis for Federal 
and State environmental findings and determinations needed to conclude 
the environmental review process.

    Issued on: August 15, 2012.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-21222 Filed 8-27-12; 8:45 am]
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