[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35750-35752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14318]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Everett Link Extension and Operations and Maintenance Facility
North Project, Snohomish County, Washington
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), as Federal lead
agency, and the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound
Transit), as local project sponsor and joint lead agency, issue this
notice to advise the public that they intend to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Everett Link Extension (EVLE)
and Operations and Maintenance Facility North (OMF North) Project
(Project). The Project would extend Link light rail 16 miles from the
existing Lynnwood City Center Station to the Everett Station area in
Snohomish County, Washington, and improve connections to the regional
transit system and major activity centers. The Project would also
include construction of a light rail operations and maintenance
facility (OMF) in Snohomish County to support the regional Link light
rail program, including EVLE.
DATES: Comments related to the NEPA review of the Project must be
received on or before August 28, 2025. The joint lead agencies will
consider comments received after that date to the extent practicable,
as well as the comments received during this NEPA scoping period and
the prior Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) scoping
process. Commenters who previously provided SEPA scoping comments do
not need to resubmit those comments for consideration under NEPA, but
may elect to do so.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of the EIS should be directed to Kathy
Fendt, North Corridor Environmental Manager, in one of four ways:
Sound Transit website: https://everettlink.participate.online/;
Email: [email protected];
Mail: Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
98104-2826; or
Provided by phone at 425-243-6255.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For FTA: Todd Tillinger, 206-220-7538,
[email protected]. For Sound Transit: Kathy Fendt, 206-689-4856,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FTA and Sound Transit (the Agencies) will
prepare the EIS in accordance with NEPA, FTA environmental statute
(Efficient environmental reviews for project decisionmaking and One
Federal Decision, 23 U.S.C. 139), FTA environmental regulations (23 CFR
part 771), and SEPA. This notice initiates NEPA scoping for the EIS,
provides information on the nature of the proposed transit project,
invites participation in the EIS process, provides information about
the purpose and need for the proposed transit project, includes general
information on the range of alternatives being considered for
evaluation in the EIS, and identifies potential environmental impacts
to be considered. It also invites comments from Tribes, agencies, and
interested members of the public on the above information and announces
upcoming public scoping meetings. Alternatives being considered for
evaluation in the EIS include a No Build Alternative and various Build
Alternatives for the light rail line and OMF North in the EVLE
corridor. The alternatives were developed through a local planning
process including a Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (2014), a regional
system plan of transit investments (Sound Transit 3 (ST3)), an early
scoping and alternatives development process specific to the EVLE
corridor under NEPA (see 86 FR 61387, November 5, 2021), and EIS
scoping under SEPA. During the alternatives development process, Sound
Transit worked with Tribes, agencies, and the public to identify and
evaluate over 50 alignment and station alternatives and 18 sites for
OMF North to determine which alternatives to take into the EIS process.
Results of the early scoping, alternatives development, and SEPA EIS
scoping processes and other background technical reports are available
on the Project website: https://soundtransit.org/everettlink, or by
contacting the Project line at 206-370-5533. FTA has determined the
Project will not be evaluated as a major project as defined in 23
U.S.C. 139(a)(7). Sound Transit intends to pursue Federal funding for
the Project through FTA's Capital Investments Grant program.
I. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose and need statement establishes the basis for developing
and evaluating a range of reasonable alternatives for environmental
review and assists with the identification of a Preferred Alternative.
The purpose of the Project is to expand the Link light rail system from
the Lynnwood City Center Link Station to the Everett Station area and
provide an OMF to:
Provide high quality, rapid, reliable, accessible, and
efficient light rail transit service to communities in the Project
corridor as defined through the local planning process and reflected in
the ST3 Plan.
Improve regional mobility by increasing connectivity and
capacity in the EVLE corridor from the Lynnwood Transit Center to the
Everett Station area to meet projected transit demand.
Connect regional centers as described in adopted regional
and local land use, transportation, and economic development plans and
Sound Transit's Regional Transit Long-Range Plan (2014).
Implement a system that is technically and financially
feasible to build, operate, and maintain.
Expand mobility for the corridor and the region's
residents, including explicit consideration for those who use transit
as a primary means of transportation.
Encourage sustainable growth in station areas through
support of transit-oriented development and multimodal integration in a
manner that is consistent with local land use plans and policies.
Encourage convenient and safe non-motorized access to
transit stations, such as bicycle and pedestrian
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connections, consistent with Sound Transit's System Access Policy.
Preserve and promote a healthy environment and economy by
minimizing adverse impacts on the natural, built, and socioeconomic
environments through sustainable practices.
Provide an OMF with the capacity to receive, test,
commission, store, maintain, and deploy vehicles to support the
intended level of service for system-wide light rail expansion.
Develop an OMF that supports efficient and reliable light
rail service and minimizes system operating costs.
The Project is needed because:
Chronic roadway congestion on Interstate 5 (I-5) and State
Route (SR) 99, two primary highways connecting communities along the
corridor, delays today's travelers, including those using transit, and
degrades the reliability of bus service traversing the corridor,
particularly during commute periods.
These chronic, degraded conditions are expected to
continue to worsen as the region's population and employment grow.
Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC), the regional
metropolitan planning organization, and local plans call for high-
capacity transit in the corridor consistent with PSRC's VISION 2050
(2020) and Sound Transit's Regional Transit Long-Range Plan.
Snohomish County residents and communities, including
those who use transit as a primary means of transportation, need long-
term regional mobility and multimodal connectivity, as called for in
the Washington State Growth Management Act.
Increased residential and/or employment density at and
around high-capacity stations and increased options for multimodal
access are called for by regional and local plans.
Prioritizing transportation investments that decrease
vehicle miles traveled, and their resulting environmental impacts, is a
goal of the state and region, as established in Washington state law
and embodied in PSRC's VISION 2050 and Regional Transportation Plan.
The current regional system lacks an OMF with sufficient
capacity and suitable location to support the efficient and reliable
long-term operations for system-wide light rail expansion, including
the next phase of light rail expansion in Snohomish and King counties.
New light rail maintenance and storage capacity needs to
be available with sufficient time to accept delivery of and commission
new vehicles to meet fleet expansion needs and to store existing
vehicles while the new vehicles are tested and prepared.
II. Description of Proposed Action and Alternatives
Sound Transit is proposing to extend Link light rail transit
service north from Lynnwood City Center Station to the Everett Station
area along an alignment that is approximately 16 miles long and
includes six light rail stations that serve the following areas: West
Alderwood, Ash Way, Mariner, Southwest Everett Industrial Center, SR
526/Evergreen, and Everett Station. Sound Transit is also evaluating a
seventh provisional station in the SR 99/Airport Road area in the EIS,
but this station is not currently funded for construction. The Project
also includes a new OMF that will support the system-wide Link light
rail system, to be located along the alignment in Snohomish County.
Information about the proposed project, early scoping, the alternatives
development process, and the EIS process are available on the Project
website at https://soundtransit.org/everettlink, by contacting the
Project sponsor at [email protected], or the Project phone
line at 206-370-5533.
The Build Alternatives are generally described as follows:
The Link light rail alternatives would run elevated from
the southern end of the Project, through the Alderwood Mall area then
return to the I-5, corridor, south of I-405. The alternatives would
continue north as either elevated or at-grade configurations along I-5,
passing through the Ash Way area and turning west along 128th Street SW
in the Mariner area. The alternatives would continue along Airport Road
until turning east in the SW Everett Industrial Center area and
following SR 526 until it meets I-5. The alternatives would then
continue north, with tail tracks terminating beyond the elevated
station options near the Everett Station area.
Three OMF North site alternatives are currently under
consideration: south of the proposed SR 99/Airport Road station area
and on the western side of SR 99; on the east side of Airport Road
between the SR 99/Airport Road and SW Everett Industrial Center
stations across from Seattle Paine Field International Airport; and on
the north side of SR 526 generally between SR 526 and 75th Street SW,
east of 16th Avenue W.
III. Summary of Expected Impacts
FTA and Sound Transit will evaluate (with input from Tribes,
agencies, and the public) the potential impacts of the alternatives on
the natural, built, and socioeconomic environments. Likely areas of
investigation include transportation, land use and consistency with
applicable plans, land acquisition and displacements, socioeconomics,
park and recreation resources, historic and cultural resources, visual
and aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise and vibration, energy use,
safety and security, and ecosystems, including threatened and
endangered species and wetlands. The EIS will evaluate short-term
construction impacts and long-term operational impacts. The EIS will
also propose measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate significant
adverse impacts.
IV. Anticipated Federal Permits and Other Authorizations
The scoping process and agency coordination will identify permits
and approvals required from Tribes and Federal, state, and local
agencies, and these will be listed in the EIS. FTA and Sound Transit
anticipate the following Federal permits and authorizations may
include:
Federal Transit Administration
[cir] National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 Review
United States Army Corps of Engineers
[cir] Clean Water Act, Section 404 (including Washington State
Department of Ecology Water Quality Certification: Clean Water Act
Section 401)
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
[cir] Endangered Species Act Consultation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries
Service
[cir] Endangered Species Act Consultation
[cir] Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act, Essential
Fish Habitat Consultation
V. Schedule for the Decisionmaking Process
Below is a tentative schedule for the decisionmaking process,
including environmental review milestones:
Draft EIS publication: early 2026, for public review and
comment.
Identification, confirmation, or modification of the
Preferred Alternative: summer 2026.
Final EIS publication: summer 2027.
Record of Decision: summer 2027.
As noted in the tentative schedule, the Agencies intend to complete
the EIS for the Project within two years. The Agencies will accept
public comments on the scope of the EIS until August 28,
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2025. The Agencies will then consider those comments as they prepare
the Draft EIS. Sound Transit expects the Draft EIS will be available
for a minimum of 45 days for the public comment period, in early 2026.
The Agencies will announce the availability of the Draft EIS in the
Federal Register and via local media outlets. The Draft EIS will be
distributed and available for public and agency review and comment
prior to the public hearing. The Agencies will consider substantive
comments timely submitted and then anticipate publishing a Final EIS by
summer 2027. The Final EIS will identify a preferred alternative and
potential mitigation commitments. Following the issuance of the Final
EIS, the Sound Transit Board will make its decision about which route
and stations and which OMF North location to build. FTA would then
issue its Record of Decision (ROD), which includes specific mitigation
commitments for the Project. The Agencies expect that all Federal
environmental authorization decisions for the construction of the
Project will be completed prior to or within a reasonable period
following issuance of the ROD.
Notices of public meetings, including hearings, will be given
through a variety of media providing the time and place of the meeting
along with other relevant information. Meeting date, time, and location
information can be found on the Project website at: https://soundtransit.org/everettlink. Public meeting locations will comply with
the Americans with Disabilities Act. Persons requesting special
accommodations should contact Sound Transit by calling 800-201-4900/TTY
Relay 711 or emailing [email protected].
Susan K. Fletcher,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2025-14318 Filed 7-28-25; 8:45 am]
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