[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66438-66439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26071]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Public Information Sessions on Alternatives Analysis 
for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project at 
LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York City, Queens County, New York

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice of Public Information Sessions.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its intent 
to hold Public Information Sessions to present the Alternatives 
Analysis for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New 
York City, Queens County, New York. The FAA is the lead agency on the 
preparation of the EIS and is providing this opportunity for the public 
to learn about the Alternatives Analysis that has been conducted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Andrew Brooks, Environmental 
Program Manager, Eastern Regional Office, AEA-610, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 1 Aviation Plaza, Jamaica, NY 11434. Telephone: 718-
553-2511.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As the lead federal agency for the 
preparation of the EIS for the Proposed Action at LaGuardia Airport 
(LGA or Airport) in New York City, Queens County, New York, the FAA is 
preparing the EIS in compliance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-15080). The preparation of the 
EIS follows FAA regulations and policies for implementing NEPA 
published in FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and 
Procedures and FAA Order 5050.4B, National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Actions.
    The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority), the 
operator of LGA, proposes the following project components of the 
Proposed Action:
     Construction of an above ground fixed guideway automated 
people mover (APM) system approximately 2.3 miles in length that 
extends from the LGA Central Hall Building to the Metropolitan 
Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) Subway 7 
Line Mets-Willets Point Station and the Port Washington Branch of the 
MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Mets-Willets Point Station;
     Construction of two on-Airport APM stations;
     Construction of one off-Airport APM station at Mets-
Willets Point that provides connections to the Mets-Willets Point LIRR 
and NYCT Subway 7 Line stations;
     Construction of on-airport passenger walkway systems to 
connect the APM stations to the passenger terminals, parking garages, 
public transportation, and ground transportation facilities;
     Construction of a multi-level APM operations, maintenance, 
and storage facility (OMSF) that includes approximately 500 Airport 
employee parking spaces, 250 MTA employee parking spaces, 50 APM 
employee parking spaces, and 200 replacement parking spaces for Citi 
Field event parking;
     Construction of three traction power substations: one 
located near the on-Airport East APM Station, another near the Willets 
Point APM Station, and the third at the OMSF to provide power to the 
APM guideway;
     Construction of a 27kV main substation located within the 
OMSF structure; and
     Construction of utilities infrastructure, both new and 
modified, as needed, to support the Proposed Action.
    The Proposed Action also includes various enabling projects to 
allow construction and connected actions, including utility relocation 
and demolition of certain existing facilities; reconstruction and/or 
relocation of the Passerelle Bridge; modifications to the MTA LIRR 
Mets-Willets Point Station, including service changes to the LIRR Port 
Washington Line; and the relocation of several Flushing Bay World's 
Fair Marina facilities, including a boat lift, Travelift finger piers 
and floating dock, Marina office, and boat storage.
    The Port Authority will be requesting to Impose and Use Passenger 
Facility Charges (PFC) for the construction of the Proposed Action. The 
FAA's decision over whether to approve a PFC application is a federal 
action that must first be reviewed under NEPA. The proposed action is 
also an undertaking that must be reviewed under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act.
    The FAA is required to consider a range of reasonable alternatives 
that could potentially meet the purpose and need: To provide a time-
certain transit alternative for air passenger and employee access to 
LGA; to provide supplemental access to LGA; to reduce passenger vehicle 
trips to and from LGA; and to provide adequate airport employee 
replacement parking. A total of 47 project alternatives have been 
identified for the Proposed Action from various sources including the 
Port Authority, scoping comments, past studies, and the FAA. Because of 
the number of alternatives considered and the complexity of the 
alternatives analysis, the FAA is sharing the alternatives analysis to 
afford the public an opportunity to ask questions on the alternatives 
analysis prior to completion and release of the Draft EIS; the Draft 
EIS is currently scheduled to be released in summer 2020. We cannot 
accept verbal testimony or formal comments at the information session. 
Formal comments on the alternatives analysis and the overall project 
will be solicited during the review of the Draft EIS.
    The alternatives evaluated have been categorized into ten groups, 
as follows:
    Group One--No Action Alternative (1 alternative): Under this 
alternative, the Port Authority would take no action to develop an APM 
system or other alternative form of transportation to and from the 
Airport.
    Group Two--Diversion of Air Traffic from LGA (2 alternatives): 
Transfer or shifting of aviation activity or air passengers to another 
existing public airport (or airports) in the New York metropolitan area 
or to another form of transportation.
    Group Three--Use of Other Modes of Transportation (3 alternatives): 
Use of other modes of transportation, including, ferry service, 
helicopter service, or gondola service.
    Group Four--Transportation Systems Management (3 alternatives):

[[Page 66439]]

Modifications to existing bus service to LGA.
    Group Five--Transportation Demand Management (1 alternative): Use 
of measures to reduce vehicular travel to and from the Airport.
    Group Six--Emerging Technologies (2 alternatives): Use of 
Transportation Network Companies (TNC) or autonomous vehicles.
    Group Seven--Off-Airport Roadway Expansion (5 alternatives): 
Increase the capacity of roadways surrounding and providing access to 
the Airport such as the Grand Central Parkway or providing dedicated 
bus lanes or an elevated busway.
    Group Eight--Subway Extension (7 alternatives): Extension of 
existing subway lines to LGA.
    Group Nine--Fixed Guideway (20 alternatives): Construction of an 
elevated fixed guideway APM system to LGA.
    Group Ten--Rail (3 alternatives): Extension of existing commuter 
rail or construction of a new commuter rail alignment to LGA.
    The FAA developed screening criteria to evaluate the 47 
alternatives and conducted a screening analysis of all alternatives 
using those criteria. The purpose of the screening analysis is to 
assist the FAA in its determination of which of the alternatives to the 
Proposed Action are reasonable. The public information sessions will 
provide the public information on the alternatives evaluated, the 
screening criteria, the alternatives screening process, and the results 
of the screening evaluation. The FAA has not made a decision regarding 
the Proposed Action.
    Two public information sessions for the general public will be 
held. The public information sessions will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 
8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 and from 6:30 p.m. 
to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The public 
information sessions will be conducted at the New York LaGuardia 
Airport Marriott Hotel at 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst, New 
York. A legal notice will also be placed in newspapers having general 
circulation in the study area. The newspaper notice will notify the 
public that information sessions will be held to share the alternatives 
screening process and results. The public information sessions will be 
conducted in an open house format with project information displayed 
and representatives from the FAA and the EIS Team available to answer 
questions. Translation services, including an assistive listening 
device, and sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the 
information sessions, if requested 10 calendar days before the 
sessions. The information sessions will be open to all persons on a 
space-available basis. There will be no admission fee or other charge, 
including parking, to attend and participate (parking validation will 
be available).
    More information about the LGA Access Improvement Project, the EIS, 
and the public information sessions can be found at: 
www.LgaAccessEIS.com.

    Issued in Jamaica, New York, November 25, 2019.
Evelyn Martinez,
Manager, New York Airport District Office, Airports Division, Eastern 
Region.
[FR Doc. 2019-26071 Filed 12-3-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P