[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 204 (Monday, October 22, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64586-64587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25910]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Limitation on Claims Against Proposed Public Transportation 
Projects

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces final environmental actions taken by the 
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for projects in the following 
locations: Los Angeles County, CA; San Antonio, TX; Prince George's 
County, MD; and Chicago, IL. 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 project will be barred 
unless the claim is filed on or before March 21, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy-Ellen Zusman, Assistant Chief 
Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel, (312) 353-2577 or Terence Plaskon, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Human and Natural 
Environment, (202) 366-0442. FTA is located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590. Office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 
p.m., EDT, 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 projects. Interested parties may 
contact either the project sponsor or the relevant FTA Regional Office 
for more information on the project. 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. 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. For example, this notice 
does not extend the limitation on claims announced for earlier 
decisions on the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project. The projects 
and actions that are the subject of this notice are:
    1. Project name and location: Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor 
Project, Los Angeles, CA. Project sponsor: Los Angeles County 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Project description: 
The project will extend from the existing Metro Exposition Line at 
Crenshaw and Exposition Boulevards and travel 8.5 miles to the Metro 
Green Line's Aviation/LAX Station. The project includes six transit 
stations, a vehicle maintenance storage facility, park-and-ride lots, 
traction power substations, and the acquisition of rail vehicles and 
maintenance equipment. Modifications to the project design have 
occurred during the preliminary engineering phase to reduce cost, 
reduce right-of-way impacts, reduce utility impacts, improve light rail 
transit operations, and improve traffic circulation and pedestrian 
crossings. The project modifications include a shift in the location of 
the optional Crenshaw/Vernon Station and Florence/Hindry Station 
(formerly Manchester/Aviation Station), street/driveway/sidewalk 
modifications, pedestrian crossing improvements, and a shift of a 
portion of the alignment into the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe 
right-of-way. This would require demolition of two railroad bridges and 
partial acquisitions. This action is on the September 2012 Finding of 
No Significant Impact. Nothing in this notice affects FTA's previous 
decisions, or notice thereof, for this project. More specifically, the 
statute of limitations for the approvals documented in the project's 
December 30, 2011 Record of Decision and the environmental documents on 
which it is based expired on August 6, 2012, as noticed in the Federal 
Register on February 8, 2012 (77 FR 6624). This notice only applies to 
the actions taken by FTA at this time as described below. Final agency 
actions: no use of Section 4(f) resources; Section 106 finding of no 
adverse effect; project-level air quality conformity; and

[[Page 64587]]

Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), dated September 4, 2012. 
Supporting documentation: Supplemental Environmental Assessment, dated 
July 2, 2012.
    2. Project name and location: Westside Multimodal Transit Center--
Phase II, San Antonio, TX. Project sponsor: VIA Metropolitan Transit 
(VIA). Project description: The project will construct a transit plaza 
on a 2.1-acre tract of land (1 block) to the east of and in close 
proximity to the site of the first phase of the project, incorporating 
the Washington Hotel structure that currently exists on the tract. The 
transit plaza would provide connectivity from the existing city bus 
system and could provide future high capacity transit corridors and 
inter-city bus service, Amtrak, taxi, and streetcar service. Final 
agency actions: Determination of de minimis impact to one Section 4(f) 
resource; Section 106 finding of no adverse effect; project-level air 
quality conformity; and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), dated 
August 24, 2012. Supporting documentation: Supplemental Environmental 
Assessment, dated July 19, 2012.
    3. Project name and location: JD to Jones Hill Double Tracking, 
Prince George's County, MD. Project sponsor: Maryland Transit 
Administration. Project description: The project will improve a two-
mile stretch of railroad between Decatur Street and a point north of 
Frolich Road. Improvements include construction of a second track, the 
shifting of the existing track, modification of the existing bridge, 
construction of an additional railroad bridge deck over the Northeast 
Branch of the Anacostia River, and other minor associated work. Final 
agency actions: Determination of de minimis impact; Section 106 finding 
of no adverse effect; project-level air quality conformity; and Finding 
of No Significant Impact (FONSI), dated September 28, 2012. Supporting 
documentation: Environmental Assessment, dated June 4, 2012.
    4. Project name and location: Dan Ryan Track Renewal and Station 
Improvements Project, Chicago, IL. Project sponsor: Chicago Transit 
Authority (CTA). Project description: CTA intends to make track and 
station improvements along the Dan Ryan Branch of the Red Line, 
including the replacement of approximately 10.2 miles of double-track 
alignment between the 16th Street subway portal and 95th Street. 
Station work includes accessibility upgrades and routine maintenance. 
Service on the Dan Ryan Branch will be suspended for a five-month 
period in 2013 during the work period. Final agency actions: No use of 
Section 4(f) resources; Section 106 finding of no historic properties 
affected; and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), dated September 
18, 2012. Supporting documentation: Environmental Assessment, dated 
August 21, 2012.

    Issued on: October 16, 2012.
Lucy Garliauskas,
Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, Washington, DC.
[FR Doc. 2012-25910 Filed 10-19-12; 8:45 am]
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