[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34252-34254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15156]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Early Scoping Notice

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Early scoping for a MAX tunnel project in metropolitan 
Portland, Oregon.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Metro (the 
designated Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO, for the Portland 
region) issue this early scoping notice for a MAX tunnel project 
(Project). Metro is exploring ways to improve transit time and 
reliability to and through the Portland Central City. The purpose of 
this early scoping notice is to advise other agencies and the public of 
the intent to further study the feasibility of a tunnel under downtown 
Portland. The Project would improve regional transit service by 
addressing current and projected travel time, reliability, and 
resiliency issues for trips to and across Portland's downtown core. 
Early scoping for the feasibility study is occurring within the context 
of the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for complying 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

DATES: 
    MAX Tunnel Study Open House: 5 to 7 p.m., July 22, 2019, Metro 
Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland, OR 97232, Council 
Chamber.
    Additional Opportunity to Comment: An online survey at https://www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/max-tunnel-study will be open until 
12:00 a.m. on August 12, 2019. Paper copies of the survey are available 
at reception at Metro, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland, OR 97232, and at 
reception at TriMet Administrative Office, 1800 SW 1st Avenue #300, 
Portland, OR 97201.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on this notice should be submitted by 
Monday, August 12, 2019, to Investment Areas, Metro, 600 NE Grand 
Avenue, Portland, OR 97232. Telephone: (503) 813-7535; email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Assam, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, Federal Transit Administration, Region 10, 915 Second 
Avenue, Room 3142, Seattle, WA 98174. Telephone: (206) 220-4465. Eryn 
Kehe, Communications Supervisor, Metro, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland, 
OR 97232. Telephone: (503) 797-1881.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This notice invites the public to comment 
on a statement of the Purpose and Need for a tunnel, the Project study 
area, potential impacts, and potential alternatives. This notice also 
invites the public to review and comment on reports previously 
developed by local planning and transportation agencies, including 
Metro and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon 
(TriMet), that support the focus to further study a tunnel. Early 
scoping is intended to identify the most reasonable alternatives to 
undergo formal scoping and NEPA environmental review. Information about 
an upcoming public meeting, opportunities to comment, and the Project's 
Purpose and Need is set forth in the following sections.

[[Page 34253]]

Early Scoping

    Early scoping is an optional step in the NEPA process that precedes 
formal scoping. Formal scoping begins when an agency issues a Notice of 
Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS). Formal 
scoping is typically the first opportunity for the public to learn 
about a proposed project that may receive FTA funding and comment on 
the scope of the anticipated planning effort. In this case, FTA and 
Metro are using early scoping to publicize and invite comment on the 
Project's Purpose and Need, potential alternatives, study area, 
potential impacts, and prior studies before formally beginning to 
prepare an EIS.
    At the end of early scoping, FTA and Metro will determine what 
potential alternatives along with tunnel options are available in order 
to move forward into the formal NEPA process. All reasonable 
alternatives will be evaluated in terms of the social, economic, and 
environmental impacts. At this stage, the proposed alternatives would 
include a No Build Alternative and a tunnel.

Project Background and Purpose and Need

    A Purpose and Need is required for projects entering NEPA 
environmental review. FTA and Metro invite comment on the Project's 
preliminary Purpose and Need to be used to guide the development and 
evaluation of potential alternatives.

Background

    The Portland Central City is the economic and cultural center of 
the region, with the largest concentration of people and jobs in 
Oregon. It is also at the core of the regional transportation system, 
and its mobility problems and constraints affect local and regional 
mobility and the regional economy. Slow travel times through the 
Central City--coupled with frequent delays, reliability issues, and 
overcrowding--are major problems today. As the region grows, these 
issues will become even more critical.
    Over the next 20 years, the region is expected to grow by 635,000 
people and 378,000 jobs, with the Central City absorbing 35,000 people 
and 32,000 jobs. During this time span, these mobility problems will 
become even more acute, further affecting regional quality of life and 
long-term economic vitality.
    The Metro 2040 Growth Concept, originally adopted in 1995, is a 50-
year plan managing growth for the region. In addition to setting the 
framework for where growth will be concentrated in the region, it calls 
for a high-quality transit system as part of the regional multimodal 
transportation solution. MAX Light Rail is the backbone of the transit 
system, carrying more than 115,000 daily trips and playing a vital role 
in serving the growing demand for travel between the Central City and 
other regional jobs and housing centers defined in the 2040 Growth 
Concept. All of the region's light rail lines cross through the Central 
City and must travel through multiple signalized intersections on 
surface streets. As traffic congestion in this area grows, delays at 
these intersections are increasing, adversely affecting travel time, 
reliability, and system capacity.
    All of the region's light rail lines also cross the Willamette 
River on the Steel Bridge, which is also a constraint on the overall 
system. The Steel Bridge was built in 1912 and is one of the oldest 
lift bridges in the United States. The bridge can accommodate only a 
single pair of tracks, and trains must travel at 10 miles per hour, 
limiting present and future throughput. The bridge is seismically 
vulnerable and likely would not survive a major earthquake. Its age and 
condition already require increasing maintenance, and bridge closures 
and lifts disrupt the entire system. Consideration of options to modify 
the bridge as alternatives to a tunnel are discussed further in the 
Preliminary Analysis section.

Purpose

    The purpose of the proposed Project is to increase regional 
mobility and capacity by improving transit travel times and system 
reliability to and through the Portland Central City, as well as the 
following:
     Improve mobility between regional centers.
     Increase transit rail capacity and frequency without 
impacting other surface mobility options.
     Increase transit ridership and transit mode share.
     Create a reliable alternative to cross-town travel on 
congested roadways.
     Support the increasing transportation demand of key 
destinations, present and future development, and population and 
employment growth expected in the Central City and the region.

Need

    The Project is needed to accomplish the following:
     Address increasingly unreliable and slow transit trips to 
and through the Central City.
     Address transit capacity and reliability issues 
constraining the regional transit system.
     Accommodate peak future light rail transit demands.
     Allow more frequent light rail service on all lines.
     Improve access from households to jobs, education, and 
social opportunities in and across the Central City and other regional 
centers.
     Ensure long-term regional mobility for low-income 
residents and reduce barriers between housing and transportation cost-
burdened households and employment opportunities.
     Create the transit infrastructure needed to support future 
expansions of regional transit service.
     Increase the transit system's resiliency to seismic and 
environmental changes.
     Provide a more competitive alternative to crosstown auto 
trips on congested freeways.

Preliminary Analysis

    In 2017, TriMet, the Portland region's transit operator, produced 
the Steel Bridge Transit Improvements Report (SBTI) to assess options 
to address one of the pinch points in downtown Portland. The report, 
which evaluated tunnel and bridge options, is available on the Project 
website (www.oregonmetro.gov/public-projects/max-tunnel-study). FTA and 
Metro are seeking input on whether continued focus on a tunnel is 
appropriate.
    In 2019, Metro convened staff from local jurisdictions to 
contemplate long-term solutions to improve mobility to and through the 
Portland Central City. The group developed the preliminary Purpose and 
Need, which is presented in the previous sections, and based on the 
SBTI and additional considerations, identified a downtown tunnel as the 
only reasonable alternative to meet the Purpose and Need. The study 
supporting this recommendation is documented in the Central City 
Transit Capacity Screening Report (https://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2019/06/27/Metro_CCTCA_Screening%20Report_2019-06-25.pdf). FTA and Metro invite comments on the report and its 
conclusions. Additionally, FTA and Metro invite comments on all 
planning activities and developments, which include, but are not 
limited to, the Purpose and Need of the Project, the Project study 
area, potential impacts, and potential alternatives.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1501.7.


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    Issued on: July 10, 2019.
Linda M. Gehrke,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-15156 Filed 7-16-19; 8:45 am]
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