[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 219 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67542-67544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26769]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Section 4(f) Evaluation for the I-20 East Transit Initiative Heavy Rail 
Transit Extension in DeKalb County, Georgia

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) and section 4(f) evaluation.

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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) and an evaluation per 49 U.S.C. 
303 and 23 CFR part 774 (``Section 4(f)'') for MARTA's I-20 East Heavy 
Rail Transit (HRT) Extension project, which would extend the existing 
Blue Line from the Indian Creek MARTA Station to the Mall at Stonecrest 
in eastern DeKalb County. The EIS and Section 4(f) Evaluation will be 
prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 4(f), as well as FTA's 
regulations and guidance implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508 and 23 CFR 771.105).
    The extension of the existing MARTA Blue Line HRT was selected as a 
component of a multimodal Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) resulting 
from the I-20 East Transit Initiative Detailed Corridor Analysis (DCA) 
completed in April 2012. The LPA also includes 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 NEPA analysis 
for the BRT project is being advanced separately in an Environmental 
Assessment (EA).
    The FTA originally published a NOI to perform federal environmental 
review for the entire I-20 East Transit Initiative LPA on August 28, 
2012 (77 FR 52128). Project scoping activities for the I-20 East 
Transit Initiative LPA occurred in September 2012. In today's issue of 
the Federal Register, FTA is rescinding the August 28, 2012 NOI and 
issuing this notice to advise interested agencies and the public 
regarding updates to the Purpose and Need of the LPA that have occurred 
since the scoping activities. Specifically, the Purpose and Need for 
both the HRT Extension project and the BRT project have been revised to 
reflect their distinct and independent utility. The revised Purpose and 
Need for the HRT Extension project is presented later in this Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of the Proposed Project and Study Area

    The first phase of the I-20 East Transit Initiative was the two 
year-long DCA. This DCA built upon a number of transit studies 
previously completed in the corridor and 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 the selection of a multimodal LPA comprised of an extension of the 
existing Blue heavy rail transit (HRT) line from MARTA's Indian Creek 
Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County and 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 focuses on the HRT Extension, has a study area that 
extends from the MARTA Indian Creek Station

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south for 3.5 miles along I-285, then east for approximately 8.5 miles 
to the Mall at Stonecrest. The study area extends up to one-half 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.

Purpose and Need

    The LPA presented to the public at Public Scoping Meetings on 
September 10, 11, and 13, 2012 included both the BRT and HRT components 
of the LPA. The BRT component is a separate project that is being 
addressed in an Environmental Assessment. The EIS Purpose and Need has 
been revised to specifically address the HRT Extension project as 
follows:
    The purpose of the I-20 East HRT Extension project is to increase 
east-west mobility options between the City of Atlanta and Southeast 
DeKalb County and to improve transit access between residential areas 
and activity and employment centers both within the corridor and across 
the region--with minimal impacts to private property, historical 
resources and neighborhoods, and parklands by:
     Providing reliable and efficient transit service with 
sufficient capacity to address future travel demand projected in the I-
20 corridor through a one-seat ride into downtown Atlanta and other 
activity centers in the corridor.
     Providing an alternative to automobile travel on congested 
roadways in the corridor, particularly the most congested areas east of 
I-285.
     Connecting to the existing MARTA rail network, thereby 
addressing a gap in the current system and improving regional transit 
accessibility and access to jobs for those who live and work in South 
DeKalb County.
     Completing an important link in the region's long term 
transit vision, Concept 3.
     Encouraging redevelopment and revitalization in key 
activity centers through investment opportunities around fixed transit 
stations.
    The project is needed to:
     Meet the needs of corridor residents by providing a high 
capacity transit alternative to the current transportation system in a 
corridor that does not have sufficient capacity or planned capacity to 
address future travel demand. Few roadway investments are planned along 
the I-20 East Corridor between I-285 and the Mall at Stonecrest through 
2040.
     Address increasing congestion and unreliable travel times 
in the corridor by providing an alternative to automobile trips into 
and out of Atlanta. Transit travel times on the current MARTA and 
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Xpress bus systems to 
destinations east of I-285 are expected to double between 2010 and 
2040, with the majority of travel times greater than 80 minutes.
     Improve regional mobility and access to jobs and services 
for corridor residents, especially the transit-dependent population. 
The I-20 East corridor has a higher transit-dependent population than 
the metro Atlanta region and the State of Georgia, with approximately 
10% zero-car households.
     Provide a direct link to the existing MARTA rail and bus 
network for residents of South DeKalb County, closing a critical gap in 
the existing network for the historically underserved and choice 
transit riders in the corridor. By offering a connection into the 
existing MARTA heavy rail system, residents and workers in the area 
would be provided with a one-seat ride to a direct connection to the 
City of Atlanta, the City of Decatur, DeKalb County and various 
regional employment centers. Citizens east of I-285 currently have a 
constrained number of options to access the MARTA system, requiring 
travel either by bus or by car, experiencing (and contributing to) 
congested roadway conditions and unreliable transit travel times due to 
operations in mixed traffic. This expansion will close a critical gap 
in the existing network by providing a proximate, direct, and reliable 
link for the traditionally underserved and choice transit riders in the 
corridor.
     Implement the region's future transit vision as well as 
regional and local land use and development plans for future investment 
in the corridor. Both the Atlanta Regional Commission's (ARC) Plan 2040 
financially constrained regional transportation plan and the Concept 3 
Transit Vision include the I-20 Corridor as a key link in the future 
regional transit network. The Regional Development Plan, DeKalb County 
Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and numerous local plans and studies 
incorporate fixed guideway transit as a catalyst for redevelopment in 
the I-20 East corridor.
     Promote reinvestment by providing the transit 
infrastructure needed to support investment in transit oriented 
development at key activity centers, such as the Wesley Chapel Road and 
Mall at Stonecrest. There is significant projected economic benefit for 
the corridor and the region through transit oriented development and 
related investment opportunities that will create jobs, revitalize key 
areas, and contribute to a transit oriented development pattern served 
directly by the MARTA system.

Study Alternatives

    MARTA 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 LPA included both a BRT and an HRT 
Extension project. The EIS will evaluate vertical and horizontal 
alternatives of the HRT portion of the adopted LPA as well as a No-
Build alternative. These alternatives are described as follows:
    1. No Build Alternative: This alternative reflects the existing 
transportation system plus any committed MARTA and Georgia Regional 
Transit Authority (GRTA) local and express bus service in the corridor, 
as well as all other transportation investments included in the Atlanta 
Regional Commission's (ARC) long-range transportation plan. ARC is the 
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Atlanta urbanized 
area. The I-20 East BRT project is included in the No-Build Alternative 
because its implementation is expected to precede that of the I-20 East 
HRT Extension by several years. NEPA requires the consideration of a No 
Build Alternative as a means of comparing and evaluating the impacts 
and benefits of the Build Alternative.
    2. Build Alternative: 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. It 
is expected that the HRT service would be implemented in two phases. 
The first phase would extend the existing MARTA east-west HRT line from 
Indian Creek Station to Wesley Chapel Road. The second phase would 
extend from Wesley Chapel Road to 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 scope of the environmental analysis and procedures shared in 
the NOI published August 28, 2012 and at

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the Public Scoping Meetings in September of 2012 remain unchanged.

Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region IV.
[FR Doc. 2014-26769 Filed 11-12-14; 8:45 am]
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