[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9309-9311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03324]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement for the High-Speed Rail 
Project From Granite City, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: FRA is issuing this Notice of Intent (Notice) to advise the 
public that FRA and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) 
will jointly prepare a Tier 2 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
the Granite City to St. Louis High-Speed Rail (HSR) Project (Project). 
The EIS will evaluate environmental and related impacts of upgrading 
rail system and infrastructure between Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) 
Milepost (MP) 273 near Granite City, IL and the St. Louis Gateway 
Station in St. Louis, MO to implement high-speed passenger rail 
service, increase rail capacity, and improve reliability for identified 
incremental service additions.
    FRA is issuing this Notice to solicit public and agency input into 
the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that 
outreach activities conducted by FRA and IDOT will be considered in 
preparation of the EIS. To ensure all significant issues are identified 
and considered, the public, governmental agencies, and all other 
interested parties are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS, 
including the purpose and need, alternatives to be considered, impacts 
to be evaluated, and methodologies to be used in the evaluation.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be provided to 
IDOT within thirty (30) days of the publication of this notice, at the 
address listed below. The public scoping meeting is scheduled on 
February 25, 2014, as noted below. Scoping meeting date, time and 
location, in addition to Project information can be found online on the 
FRA Web site at www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at http://www.idothsr.org.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS may be mailed or 
emailed within thirty (30) days of the publication of this Notice to 
Mr. John Oimoen, Deputy Director of Railroads, Division of Public and 
Intermodal Transportation, Illinois Department of Transportation, 100 
West Randolph Street, Suite 6-600, Chicago, Illinois 60601, 
[email protected]. Comments may also be provided orally or in 
writing at the scoping meeting scheduled as follows:
     The public scoping meeting will be advertised locally and 
is scheduled on February 25, 2014: Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, 101 
Jackie Joyner-Kersee Circle, East St Louis, IL 62204, from 5:00 p.m.-
7:30 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Andr[eacute]a E. Martin, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Railroad Policy and 
Development, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., (Mail Stop 20), Washington, DC 20590, [email protected], or 
Mr. John Oimoen at the above address. Information and documents 
regarding the EIS process will also be made available through the FRA 
Web site at www.fra.dot.gov and on the Project Web site at http://www.idothsr.org.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FRA is preparing an EIS for the Project 
proposed by IDOT that will provide high-speed rail service between 
Granite City, IL and St. Louis, MO. The proposed Project would increase 
rail capacity associated with the Mississippi River crossings to 
accommodate increased rail traffic and improve reliability for 
identified incremental service additions anticipated with the proposed 
high-speed rail service of the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor 
Program.
    For the purposes of the Tier 2 EIS, a study area has been 
established that includes existing rail corridors. These corridors 
cover approximately five square miles between MP 273, near Granite 
City, IL and the St. Louis Gateway Station in St. Louis, MO, and 
include two 1,000-foot rail corridors (MacArthur Bridge and Merchants 
Bridge crossings) and two 500-foot intersecting roadway corridors 
(Niedringhaus and Bissell Avenues).
    The Project is needed to accommodate the projected high-speed 
passenger rail traffic between MP 273, near Granite City, IL and the 
St. Louis Gateway Station in St. Louis, MO. Improved travel time, 
service reliability, and safety are necessary to attract travelers to 
high-speed passenger rail from automobile and air travel.
    The Tier 2 EIS will analyze alternatives that meet the Project's 
purpose and need while maximizing community benefits and minimizing 
impacts to community, cultural, and natural resources. Anticipated 
improvements would require acquisition of new rights-of-way and 
permanent/temporary easements; however, the exact limits of the land 
acquisitions are not known at this time. Right-of-way impacts 
associated with proposed routes will be identified and made available 
for comment in the Draft EIS.
    The inception of high-speed passenger rail service between Chicago 
and St. Louis, combined with increased freight traffic, would likely 
require the following:
 Evaluation of efficient and reliable routes across Mississippi 
River (new and existing)
 Upgrading and expansion of existing mainline tracks
 Operational improvements to interlockings within the St. Louis 
Terminal
 Evaluation of potential grade separations and other crossing 
safety measures
     Improvements to existing bridges and other infrastructure
     Evaluation of the feasibility of a new station between 
Granite City and St. Louis
    The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental and related 
impacts of constructing and operating the Project within the corridors 
located within Madison and St. Clair Counties, IL and St. Louis, MO.

[[Page 9310]]

Environmental Review Process

    The EIS will be developed in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR 1500 et seq.) 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and FRA's Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts (64 FR 28545; May 26, 1999). In addition to NEPA, 
the EIS will address other applicable statutes, regulations and 
executive orders, including the 1980 Clean Air Act Amendments, Section 
404 of the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, 
Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act, the Endangered 
Species Act, and Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice. FRA 
and IDOT are using a tiered process, as provided for in 40 CFR 1508.28 
and in accordance with FRA guidance, in the completion of the 
environmental review of the Project. ``Tiering'' is a staged 
environmental review process applied to environmental reviews for 
complex projects. The Tier 1 EIS addressed broad corridor-level issues 
and alternatives. The Tier 2 EIS will analyze, at a greater level of 
detail, narrower site-specific proposals based on decisions made in 
Tier 1.
    The purpose of the Tier 2 EIS will be to provide the FRA, reviewing 
and cooperating agencies, and the public with information to assess 
alternatives that will meet the Project's purpose and need; to evaluate 
the potential environmental impacts of each alternative; and to 
identify potential measures necessary to mitigate or avoid 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed Project 
alternatives.

Project Background

    FRA initiated the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) 
Program in June 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act (ARRA). On January 28, 2010, Illinois was selected for a $1.2 
billion federal award to bring high-speed passenger rail service to 
Illinois between Dwight and the East St. Louis area. In addition, the 
Illinois Capital Bill appropriated $400 million for high-speed rail. In 
December 2010, an additional $42.3 million was received for 
construction upgrades. The City of Alton and Madison County also 
received a $13.9 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic 
Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant for a transportation center in 
late 2011. And, in January 2012, $186.3 million was received for 
corridor improvements between Joliet and Dwight, IL. IDOT, local 
municipalities, and the UPRR have provided matching funds to this 
overall funding package.
    In 2012, FRA completed a Final Program EIS for the Chicago to St. 
Louis High-Speed Rail Corridor Program as the first phase of a tiered 
environmental review process, and issued a Record of Decision on the 
Final Program EIS on December 18, 2012. The Chicago to St. Louis HSR 
Corridor Program encompasses a corridor that is approximately 284 miles 
long with trains operating primarily on UPRR track with service 
provided by Amtrak. The improvements to the route will allow future 
passenger rail service from Chicago to St. Louis to operate at speeds 
up to 110 miles per hour (mph). The Tier 1 EIS established the purpose 
and need for the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor Program, analyzed 
the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor Program, and considered and 
evaluated alternatives including a no action alternative and multiple 
alternative alignments along existing rail corridors between Chicago 
and St. Louis. The Tier 1 EIS considered increasing the frequency of 
high-speed passenger rail service, as well as increasing the currently 
planned maximum speed of such service up to 110 miles per hour (mph), 
in the Corridor.
    As part of the Tier 1 evaluation, FRA selected the Rock Island 
Corridor as the Preferred Alternative between Joliet and Chicago; the 
existing Amtrak route as the Preferred Alternative between Joliet and 
St. Louis; and a consolidated route along 10th Street through 
Springfield as the Preferred Alternative for the Springfield Rail 
Improvements Project. These proposed improvements were considered in 
addition to those improvements from Dwight to St. Louis associated with 
FRA's 2004 Record of Decision for the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Project 
and the 2011 Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI) for the UPRR's Track Improvement Project from Joliet to 
Dwight, IL.
    As previously mentioned, FRA and IDOT will be responsible for 
implementing the Project and will jointly prepare a Tier 2 EIS. This 
Tier 2 EIS represents the next stage in the tiered environmental review 
process associated with the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor Program. 
The Tier 2 EIS for the Granite City to St. Louis HSR Project is part of 
the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Corridor Program and is being conducted to 
address and evaluate, in more detail, this component of the Selected 
Alternative carried forward from the Tier 1 study.
    Tier 2 analyses are being conducted between Joliet and Chicago; for 
the Springfield flyover, and Granite City to St. Louis segments. The 
Tier 2 evaluation for the Springfield Rail Improvements Project was 
conducted concurrently to the Tier 1 study. More information regarding 
the development, evaluation, and selection of alignments during the 
Tier 1 EIS process, the Chicago to St. Louis HSR Tier 1 Draft EIS, 
Final EIS, and ROD can be viewed at the following Web site: 
www.idothsr.org/tier_1.
    In addition to the remaining components of the Chicago to St. Louis 
HSR Corridor Program selected in the overall project's Tier 1 ROD, 
there are ongoing rail improvement programs that relate to the Project 
studied in this EIS, including the Chicago Region Environmental and 
Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), the Chicago to St. Louis 
220 mph High-Speed Rail Express and the Midwest Regional Rail 
Initiative (MWRRI). Although related, the successful implementation of 
this Project is not dependent and will not restrict considerations of 
alternatives or the completion of the following regional rail 
improvement programs described below.
    The Chicago to St. Louis 220 mph High-Speed Rail Express is a 
project concept being pursued by IDOT. This service, at speeds up to 
220 mph, may utilize existing rail corridors, a new corridor, or a 
combination of both, and could serve different travel markets. The 220 
mph concept is intended as a complementary service to the Chicago to 
St. Louis high-speed rail service that is being evaluated in this EIS. 
In 2009, the Midwest High-Speed Rail Association prepared a feasibility 
study that indicated that a completely grade separated route could be 
established by modifying existing rail corridors to connect Chicago, 
Champaign, Decatur and Springfield, IL with St. Louis, MO, with a one-
way terminal-to-terminal trip time of approximately two hours, 
utilizing a maximum speed of 220 mph. The French National Railways 
(SNCF) prepared an Expression of Interest in 2009 in response to FRA's 
Request for Expression of Interest dated December 11, 2008. The SNCF 
proposed a high-speed rail route to be located adjacent to existing 
rail corridors and sharing existing rail corridors in urban approaches 
at lower speeds. IDOT intends to further study the 220 mph project 
concept, including development of an investment-grade business plan

[[Page 9311]]

and the preparation of a separate Tier 1 EIS.
    MWRRI is an effort led by the Wisconsin Department of 
Transportation and supported by eight other midwestern states to 
upgrade Amtrak service in those states, with maximum speeds of 79 to 
110 mph depending on the level of improvements made. A Chicago-St. 
Louis corridor is included in MWRRI's September 2004 Executive Report 
and November 2006 Benefit Cost and Economic Analysis. Additional 
corridors proposed by MWRRI include: Chicago-Green Bay, Wisconsin; 
Chicago-Minneapolis, Minnesota; St. Louis-Kansas City, Missouri; 
Chicago-Cincinnati, Ohio; Chicago-Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago-Detroit, 
Michigan; Chicago-Port Huron, Michigan; Chicago-Carbondale, Illinois; 
Chicago-Quincy, Illinois; and Chicago-Omaha, Nebraska. Several other 
feeder corridors connecting smaller municipalities to the primary 
corridors are also included. More information is available at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/rail.htm.

Scoping and Public Involvement

    FRA encourages broad participation in the Tier 2 EIS process during 
scoping and review of the resulting environmental documents. Comments 
are invited from the public, governmental agencies, and all other 
interested parties to ensure the full range of issues related to the 
Project are addressed, reasonable alternatives are considered, and 
significant issues are identified. In particular, FRA is interested in 
identifying areas of environmental concern where there might be a 
potential for significant impacts. Public agencies with jurisdiction 
are requested to advise FRA and IDOT of the applicable permit and 
environmental review requirements of each agency, and the scope and 
content of the environmental information that is germane to the 
agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed 
Project. Public agencies are requested to advise FRA if they anticipate 
taking a major action in connection with the proposed Project and if 
they wish to cooperate in the preparation of the EIS.
    Public scoping opportunities and meetings will be scheduled as 
described above and are an important component of the scoping process 
for federal environmental review. FRA is seeking participation and 
input of all interested federal, state, and local agencies, Native 
American groups, and other concerned private organizations and 
individuals on the scope of the EIS. The proposed Project is a federal 
undertaking with the potential to affect historic properties. As such, 
it is subject to the requirements of Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. 470(f)). In 
accordance with regulations issued by the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation (36 CFR 800), FRA intends to coordinate compliance with 
Section 106 of the NHPA with the preparation of the EIS, beginning with 
the identification of consulting parties through the scoping process, 
in a manner consistent with the standards set out in 36 CFR 800.8.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2014.
Corey W. Hill,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-03324 Filed 2-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P