[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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