[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39157-39159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13947]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Early Scoping Notice for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority's (MARTA) Proposed Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative in
Fulton County and DeKalb County, Georgia
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Early scoping notice.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Metropolitan
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) issue this early scoping notice
to advise tribes, agencies, and the public that FTA and MARTA will
explore potential alternatives for high-capacity, fixed-guideway
transit extending from Lindbergh Center in the City of Atlanta, Fulton
County, GA to the City of Decatur in DeKalb County, GA. The project
would enhance mobility and accessibility by providing a more robust
transit network by linking to existing heavy rail transit lines, with
the potential to connect to other planned regional transit expansion
projects. This notice invites the public and agency officials to help
support the ongoing alternatives analysis and system planning efforts
by reviewing information and commenting.
[[Page 39158]]
DATES: Two in-person public information open houses will be held at the
following times:
Thursday, July 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m., at the Emory
University Rollins School of Public Health Auditorium, located at 1518
Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322.
Saturday, July 16, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in
the atrium of MARTA Headquarters, located at 2424 Piedmont Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30324.
MARTA Headquarters is located at the western terminus of the
proposed project in Atlanta's Lindbergh/Morosgo neighborhood, near the
existing Lindbergh Center MARTA rail station.
Two online public early scoping meetings will be held at the
following times (all times are Eastern Daylight Time):
Tuesday, July 19, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
Registration information for these public forums can be found
below. Pre-registration is not required to attend the in-person forums
but is recommended for planning purposes.
Online Public Early Scoping Meeting #1--Tuesday, July 19,
2022, at 10:00 a.m.: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqdO2grz4tHdX-yuIUdBt6HInsuDJ0GGGL
Online Public Early Scoping Meeting #2--Wednesday, July 20,
2022, at 6:30 p.m.: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMlfuuvpzMpGtL3bCvFQ4S649P1S_JmFwk9
In-person Public Information Open House #1--Emory Rollins
School of Public Health Auditorium. Thursday, July 14, 2022, at 6:30
p.m.: https://tinyurl.com/4hxxmumb
In-person Public Information Open House #2--MARTA Atrium.
Saturday, July 16, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N8DC2RQ
In-person or electronic scoping comments are requested by August
30, 2022, and may be mailed or emailed to the MARTA Project Manager at
the address below or provided via a comment form on the project website
here: https://ConnectClifton.com. Virtual forums will be recorded and
made available via the project website.
ADDRESSES: Written or electronic comments should be sent to Bryan
Hobbs, Project Manager, MARTA, 2424 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA
30324-3330 or by email to [email protected]. If submitting an
electronic comment, please type ``Clifton Corridor Study Early Scoping
Comment for MARTA'' in the subject line of the email. MARTA maintains
social media accounts for general announcements and will notify social
media followers, in conjunction with publication of this notice, to
submit comments to the email address above. Registration links for the
early scoping forums can be found on the project website: https://ConnectClifton.com.
The forums will include accessibility accommodations for persons
with disabilities. If translation, closed captioning, or other special
accommodations are needed, please contact the Project Manager, Bryan
Hobbs at ([email protected] or 404-848-5733) at least two weeks
before the early scoping forums.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia Walker, Environmental Protection
Specialist, FTA Region IV, 230 Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 1400,
Atlanta, GA 30303 or email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Early Scoping
The early scoping process is intended to support the alternatives
analysis, any future National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping
process, and will help streamline the future development of an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), if warranted. In addition, it
supports FTA's planning requirements associated with the Capital
Investment Grants New Starts (``Section 5309'') funding program for
major capital transit investments. While recent legislation has led to
changes in the New Starts process, MARTA will comply with all relevant
FTA requirements relating to planning and project development to help
analyze and screen alternatives in preparation for the NEPA process.
Early scoping is an optional step in the NEPA process that precedes
NEPA scoping, which normally begins when the FTA and the grant
applicant publish a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS. Early scoping
is intended to generate public and agency review and comments on the
scope of a planning effort within a defined transportation corridor,
which helps the agency to determine which alignment variations should
receive more focused study and project development to streamline the
NEPA process. Early scoping can streamline the NEPA process, but also
firmly links transportation planning and NEPA; and allows the public
and interested agencies the opportunity to review and provide comments
on the results of the planning activities and studies that inform the
NEPA process. Early scoping for the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative
is being conducted in accordance with the Council on Environmental
Quality's (CEQ) and FTA's regulations and guidance for implementing
NEPA (40 CFR 1501.2 through 1501.8 and through 23 CFR 771.111), which
encourage federal agencies to initiate NEPA early in their planning
processes. Early scoping begins as soon as there is enough information
to describe the proposal so that the public and relevant agencies can
participate effectively. This is particularly useful in situations when
a proposed action involves a broadly defined corridor with an array of
possible transit investment alternatives. This early scoping notice
invites public and agency involvement with the ongoing supplementary
planning activities and studies for the Clifton Corridor, including
review of the (a) purpose and need, (b) the proposed alternatives, and
(c) the potential environmental, transportation, and community impacts
and benefits to consider during the NEPA process.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the proposed project is to provide a high capacity,
fixed-guideway transit service to the Clifton Corridor in a manner that
increases the reliability and frequency of existing transit services to
and within the corridor; improves access and connectivity within the
Clifton Corridor; and provides alternative travel options in the event
of emergencies that impair roadway travel within the corridor.
The proposed transit investment would improve accessibility, travel
time reliability, and economic development by providing high-capacity
transit services for commuters accessing activity centers within the
Clifton Corridor and the greater Atlanta region.
The primary needs for the Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative are
listed below and are supported by the existing conditions in the
corridor and broader Atlanta region:
Provide high-capacity transit to a major regional
population and employment center
Address the need for reliable and frequent transit
Improve access and connectivity within the Clifton
Corridor.
Project Description
A high-capacity, fixed-guideway transit within a corridor extending
from the Lindbergh Center in the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, GA to
the City of Decatur in DeKalb County, GA. Potential high-capacity,
fixed-guideway alternatives would improve transit linkages and coverage
within the study corridor, providing high-capacity transit and regional
connectivity to one of the
[[Page 39159]]
metro area's major regional jobs corridors that includes the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and
Hospital, the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Emory
Decatur Hospital, and several clusters of growing multi-family
residential, office, and commercial centers. The project would enhance
mobility and accessibility to and within the study corridor by
providing a more robust transit network that offers an alternative to
automobile travel and would link to existing heavy rail transit lines,
with the potential to connect to other planned regional transit
expansion projects. The current study evaluates transit modal
alternatives that would operate in or adjacent to the CSX
Transportation freight rail corridor from the Lindbergh Center MARTA
station area to a point near Belt Junction at the Emory-Clairmont
Campus in DeKalb County. Transit service would continue east along
either: (a) North Decatur Road, DeKalb Industrial Way, N Arcadia Way
and E Ponce de Leon Avenue to the Avondale MARTA Station; or (b)
continue along Clairemont Avenue to the Decatur MARTA Station.
Project Context and History
The Clifton Corridor Transit Initiative was initiated by MARTA in
2009, in cooperation with the Clifton Corridor Transportation
Management Association (CCTMA), to identify and select a transit
solution that would provide access to the CDC and Emory University and
Hospital Area. An initial alternatives analysis study evaluated several
alignment and transit mode alternatives and resulted in a Locally
Preferred Alternative (LPA) that was adopted by the MARTA Board of
Directors in 2012. Since that time, MARTA has evaluated an extensive
number of additional alternatives to maximize operational efficiency
and ridership potential, reduce project costs, and reduce environmental
and community impacts in a highly complex study area with limited
right-of-way (ROW), freight rail, established historic and residential
areas, and a rapid pace of real estate development.
Next Steps
FTA and MARTA 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. At the end of the alternatives analysis
process, FTA and MARTA anticipate identifying a preferred mode and
corridor for further evaluation during the NEPA process. The
classification of the NEPA documentation (Categorical Exclusion,
Environmental Assessment, or Environmental Impact Statement) will be
determined by FTA at the end of the alternatives analysis. If the
preferred mode and alignment involve the potential for significant
environmental impacts, an EIS may be required. If an EIS is required, a
Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS will be published in the Federal
Register by FTA, and the public and interested agencies will have the
opportunity to participate in a review and comment period on the scope
of the EIS.
Authority: 49 CFR 622.101, 23 CFR 771.111, and 40 CFR 1501.7.
Yvette Taylor,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2022-13947 Filed 6-29-22; 8:45 am]
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