[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59441-59443]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26029]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement for the Long Island Rail Road
Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch Yard
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) intend to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analyzing alternatives to meet
LIRR's need to store electric train cars on the railroad's Huntington/
Port Jefferson Branch in Suffolk County, New York. As required by the
Record of Decision issued by the FTA on May 21, 2001, for the MTA LIRR
East Side Access Project, the EIS will be tiered from the Final EIS
issued for the East Side Access Project in March 2001. As stated in the
Final EIS for the East Side Access project, under a tiered NEPA EIS
approach, the lead agency focuses on the issues that are ripe for
decision in the first-tier document and prepares further environmental
analyses as elements of the subsequent actions become adequately
defined.
FTA and MTA/LIRR are notifying interested parties of the intent to
[[Page 59442]]
prepare an EIS and inviting public participation in the study to
identify a suitable site or sites to meet LIRR's existing and long-term
storage needs on the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch, east of
Huntington between Huntington and Smithtown Stations. The new storage
yard(s) will permit the LIRR to increase the number of electric train
cars in operation on the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch. Increased
train cars will allow the LIRR to provide additional service to
accommodate projected ridership growth, and provide new service to
Grand Central Terminal as part of the LIRR's East Side Access Project,
as well as to increase the number of electric train car spares to
insure more reliable services.
DATES: The public is invited to make comments on the scope of the
proposed project. Written comments should be sent to the LIRR by
December 31, 2003. See ADDRESSES below. Scoping Meetings are scheduled
as follows:
November 5, 2003
5 p.m.-9 p.m. (5-7 p.m. Information Open House; 7-9 p.m. Public
Hearing), Kings Park High School, Route 25A, Kings Park, New York
November 6, 2003
5 p.m.-9 p.m. (5-7 p.m. Information Open House; 7-9 p.m. Public
Hearing), Smithtown High School, 100 Central Road, Smithtown, New York
November 12, 2003
5 p.m.-9 p.m. (5-7 p.m. Information Open House; 7-9 p.m. Public
Hearing), East Northport Middle School, South Auditorium, Fifth Avenue
east of Larkfield Road, East Northport, New York
November 13, 2003
5 p.m.--9 p.m. (5-7 p.m. Information Open House; 7-9 p.m. Public
Hearing), Huntington Intermediate School, 155 Lowndes Avenue,
Huntington, New York
People with special needs should contact Peter Palamaro, Editorial
Officer, at the LIRR at (718) 558-3809 or at the address below in
advance of the meeting. The buildings are accessible to people with
disabilities. A sign language interpreter will be available for the
hearing impaired.
Scoping material will be available at the meeting(s) and may also
be obtained in advance by contacting Peter Palamaro at the LIRR at
(718) 558-3809 or at the MTA Web site at www.mta.info (click ``MTA
Home'' then ``Planning Studies'' and ``Port Jefferson Yard EIS'').
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to
Peter Palamaro, Editorial Officer, LIRR, Public Affairs Department,
Jamaica Station, Mail Code 0536, Jamaica, NY 11435. The scoping
meetings will be held at the addresses listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you wish to be placed on the
project mailing list to receive further information as the study
develops, contact Peter Palamaro at the address and phone number above.
For further information you may also contact: Irwin Kessman,
Director, Office of Planning and Project Development, Federal Transit
Administration, Region II. One Bowling Green, Room 429, New York, NY
10004-1415; Telephone 212-668-2170.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
The FTA and LIRR invite all interested individuals and
organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies to provide
comments on the scope of study. During the scoping process, comments
should focus on identifying specific social, economic, or environmental
issues to be evaluated and suggesting alternatives, which may be less
costly or may have lesser environmental impacts, while achieving the
transportation objectives of increasing the LIRR's storage capacity on
the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch. Comments should focus on the
issues and alternatives for analysis. Scoping materials will be
available at the meetings or in advance by contacting Peter Palamaro at
LIRR, as indicated above.
Following the scoping process, LIRR will conduct public outreach
activities, including meetings with local agencies, organizations, and
distribution of study fact sheets. Every effort will be made to ensure
that the widest possible range of participants has the opportunity to
attend outreach meetings. Meetings will be announced through mailings,
notices, advertisements, press releases and at the MTA Web site at
www.mta.info (click ``MTA Home'' then ``Planning Studies'' and ``Port
Jefferson Yard EIS'').
II. Description of Study Area and Transportation Needs
The study area consists of the corridor along the LIRR's
Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch between Huntington Station and
Smithtown Station. The purpose of the study is to develop and evaluate
a strategy or strategies to meet the LIRR's need for new storage
capacity for electric train cars on the Huntington/Port Jefferson
Branch, east of Huntington.
The LIRR has immediate as well as long-term storage needs for its
electric train fleet. This immediate need to store electric train
equipment and to deal with storage capacity constraints is most evident
in Huntington on the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch. Due to the lack
of car storage capacity to originate service, LIRR currently operates
several a.m. peak trains to Huntington from its West Side Yard
facility, and this will become increasingly impractical as service
increases to Penn Station during the morning peak period. Presently,
electric train storage on the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch relies
on a siding, east of Huntington Station, with a three-train capacity
that is already inadequate for current train storage.
Within the next 10 years, there will be an additional need for
storage capacity on LIRR's Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch as a result
of planned electric car fleet expansion and associated service
improvements. The LIRR, in its efforts to meet increased passenger
demands, projected ridership growth and reduce standees, as well as
increase availability of spare cars during service or maintenance,
plans to increase its electric fleet by up to 40 percent over the same
10 years. This will ensure that the demand for service can be met in
the long term. With respect to future weekday a.m. peak hour ridership,
the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch is projected to have an increase
of over 16,000 daily AM peak riders over the next 20-years. This growth
accounts for 35-percent of systemwide growth over this time period.
In addition, LIRR's future East Side Access Project, with LIRR
service to Grand Central Terminal to be implemented by 2012, will also
increase electric train service on the Huntington/Port Jefferson
Branch. Because the existing LIRR system does not have adequate storage
capacity for the new electric cars, the planned service improvements on
the Huntington/Port Jefferson Branch cannot be made unless additional
space is obtained for storage of electric train cars on this branch.
III. Alternatives
All reasonable alternatives will be evaluated in the EIS, including
a No Build Alternative, which will provide the basis for comparison of
the build alternatives. The LIRR will identify alternative sites at
which new electric rail car storage could be accommodated and analyze
environmental and community impacts, operational factors, cost, and
ability to meet the LIRR's long-term electric rail car storage needs
for each alternative. It should be noted that third rail power will
have to be extended to service any new yard east
[[Page 59443]]
of Huntington as this area is located outside the existing electrified
territory. New electric substations will also be required to
accommodate the extension of third-rail power to the new yard. Minor
track and grade crossing improvements in the newly electrified area may
also be warranted. These project elements will also be analyzed.
IV. Probable Effects
The FTA and LIRR will evaluate the environmental, social, and
economic impacts of each alternative, including air quality; noise and
vibration; traffic, parking and pedestrians; energy and potential for
conservation; safety and security; water quality; wetlands; flooding;
navigable waterways and coastal zones; ecologically sensitive areas;
endangered species; hazardous materials; land acquisition and
displacements; land use, zoning, and economic development; consistency
with local plans; historic properties; parkland; aesthetics; community
disruption; environmental justice; construction impacts; and cumulative
impacts. Measures to mitigate significant adverse impacts will be
identified and alternatives for mitigation will be analyzed
V. FTA Procedures
Upon completion of the scoping process, the Draft EIS will be made
available for public and agency review and comment for 45 days. Public
hearing(s) on the Draft EIS will be held within the study area. On the
basis of the Draft EIS as well as comments received from the public
participation process, a Final EIS will be prepared.
Issued on: October 8, 2003.
Letitia Thompson,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-26029 Filed 10-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P