[Federal Register: May 11, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 90)]
[Notices]
[Page 24856-24859]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11my05-95]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement on Transit Improvements in the
Northwest Corridor to Irving/DFW in Dallas, TX
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Dallas Area Rapid
Transit (DART) issue this notice to advise interested agencies and the
public of their intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on the proposed Northwest Corridor-Irving/DFW Line Light Rail
Transit (LRT) Project in Dallas and Irving, Texas. The EIS will be
prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), as amended.
The Northwest Corridor-Irving/DFW Line LRT project is the product
of the Northwest Corridor Major Investment Study (MIS) completed by
DART in early 2000. The MIS identified a Locally Preferred Investment
Strategy (LPIS), which included a light rail element with two service
lines, the Carrollton Line and the Irving/DFW Line. An EIS evaluating
alternatives for the Carrollton Line has been completed, and FTA issued
a Record of Decision on this portion of the LPIS on February 5, 2004.
The identified primary travel need for the Northwest Corridor-
Irving/DFW Line LRT is to serve the general northwest-southeast travel
pattern along the Interstate Highway (IH) 35E/State Highway (SH) 114
corridor from downtown Dallas into North Irving. The LPIS alignment
addressed this need with an alignment that generally parallels SH 114
through north Irving before terminating on the north side of SH 114,
west of Beltline Road.
After adoption of the LPIS, significant changes in land use and
transportation patterns have occurred in the Irving/DFW Corridor.
Subsequent analyses by DART for the Irving/DFW Corridor have resulted
in a refinement to the LPIS alignment. The refined alignment also
addresses the primary travel need with an alignment that runs parallel
but south of SH 114 through north Irving. Both of these ``Build''
alternatives will be fully evaluated in the EIS.
DATES: Comment due date: Written comments on the scope of the EIS,
including the alternatives and impacts to be considered, should be sent
to John Hoppie, Project Manager by July 1, 2005. See ADDRESSES below.
Scoping Meeting: A Public Scoping Meeting will be held June 29,
2005, at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Dallas--Haggar University
Center, 1845 E. Northgate Drive, Irving, Texas. The meeting will be
accessible to persons with disabilities. Individuals requiring special
assistance to participate fully, such as a translator or sign-language
interpreter, should notify DART in advance as indicated under ADDRESSES
below.
Interagency Coordination Meeting: DART will invite all federal,
state and local agencies with a possible interest in any aspect of the
proposed project or its impacts to an interagency coordination meeting
and will provide scoping materials to these agencies prior to that
meeting. The likely cooperating agencies include the Federal Aviation
Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, and North
Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to John Hoppie, Project
Manager, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, P.O Box 660163, Dallas, Texas
75266-7213.
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Telephone: 214-749-2525. Fax: 214-749-3670. E-mail: jhoppie@dart.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Sweek, Community Planner, Federal
Transit Administration, Region VI; phone: (817) 978-0550.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
FTA and DART invite interested individuals, organizations,
businesses and federal, state and local agencies to participate in
determining the scope of the EIS on the Irving/DFW Line, including
alternative alignments and station locations. Comments should focus on
suggesting alternatives that may be less costly or have fewer
environmental impacts while achieving similar transportation
objectives, or on identifying any significant social, economic, or
environmental issues related to the alternatives under consideration.
Specific suggestions on additional alternatives to be examined and
issues to be addressed are welcome and will be considered in the
development in the final study scope. Scoping comments may be made
orally or in writing not later than July 1, 2005. See DATES and
ADDRESSES above. Additional information on the EIS process, the
alternatives and anticipated impact issues is contained in a ``Scoping
Information Document''. Copies of the scoping document are available
from DART. See DATES and ADDRESSES above. In addition, a project
website has been established to provide scoping and other information
at http://www.dart.org/nwdfwcorridor.asp.
II. Description of the Study Area and Project Need
The Northwest Corridor Study Area covered in the MIS includes a
large part of northwest Dallas County. It extends from downtown Dallas
on the south, to SH 121 on the west and north, to east of Marsh Lane
and IH-35E on the east. The LPIS adopted on the basis of the MIS
includes two rail lines, the Carrollton Line and the Irving/DFW Line.
Each of the two rail lines has independent utility in meeting the
transportation needs of the study area. The Carrollton Line is
advancing toward implementation. The Irving/DFW Line is the subject of
this notice. The MIS that resulted in the proposed Irving DFW Line is
available online at http://www.dart.org/nwdfwcorridor.asp. The MIS is
also available for inspection at DART offices by contacting John Hoppie
as indicated in ADDRESSES above.
The Irving/DFW Line and its associated stations provide the
opportunity to serve several important regional activity centers. The
proposed rail line will also provide numerous opportunities to
interconnect the region's transit services, including DART's expanding
LRT system, the Trinity Railway Express commuter rail operation, and
DART's local and express bus service.
Regional growth has added significantly to the corridor's
congestion, especially employment growth in Dallas County, and
population growth in northern Dallas, Northeast Tarrant, and Denton
Counties. According to findings of the MIS, in 2020 the northwest
quadrant of Dallas County will account for 33.6 percent of employment
in the entire Dallas-Fort Worth region. While only 6.4 percent of the
region's land area, the study area is a large net importer of
employees. In 1995, jobs outnumbered population by over 200,000. In
2020, the surplus of jobs over population is expected to grow to more
than 336,000. Demographic information will be updated by the North
Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) during the preparation of
the EIS.
Land use in the corridor consists of a major concentration of
employment near the Las Colinas Urban Center with residential uses
occurring west and south of SH 114. Traffic volumes along SH 114 are
expected to increase significantly in future years. The EPA designated
the nine-county Dallas-Fort Worth region as a moderate non-attainment
area for the pollutant ozone under the 8-hour standard in April 2004.
The proposed LRT project is part of multi-modal strategy that also
incorporates bus service refinements, highway and HOV lane
improvements, TSM and TDM strategies, and bicycle and pedestrian
improvements. This strategy was developed during the preparation of the
Northwest Corridor MIS completed by DART in early 2000.
III. Alternatives
The transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in this
project area include:
No-Build Alternative--The future No-Build Alternative is the
transit system that will result in the design year (2030) if the
project is not pursued. It consists of all transportation projects
included in the adopted NCTCOG plan outside the study corridor, and
normal growth in bus service inside the corridor, consistent with
exiting transit service policies.
MIS Build Alternative--The original MIS Build Alternative project
consisted of an LRT Line of approximately 13.2 miles. The alignment
began at the junction with the Carrollton LRT Line north of the Bachman
LRT Station and extended southwest on aerial structure over IH-35E and
the Elm Fork of the Trinity River parallel to Spur 482. Near the
Central Freight property and Texas Stadium parking lots, the alignment
turned to the northwest, returned to grade and then elevated to aerial
structure to cross over Loop 12, SH 114 and Tom Braniff Drive, landing
on the south side of SH 114 and returning to grade. The alignment
continued at-grade along the south side of SH 114, and then crossed
over both the BNSF RR and SH 114 to enter the Las Colinas Urban Center
area. The alignment continued at-grade through the Las Colinas Urban
Center in the median of Lake Carolyn Parkway. The alignment then became
aerial to cross over Northwest Highway. South of Colwell Boulevard the
alignment became at-grade and paralleled Las Colinas Boulevard for a
short distance until it turned northward. Adjacent to Royal Lane the
alignment turned westerly and crossed over MacArthur Boulevard on
aerial structure. Returning to grade, the route continued northwest to
the north end of DFW airport with grade separations at SH 161, SH 114,
Beltline Road and International Parkway. Seven stations were proposed
within the MIS alignment: University of Dallas, South Las Colinas,
North Urban Center, Royal Lane, SH 161, Belt Line Road, and DFW North.
The University of Dallas station was located south of SH 114. The South
Las Colinas Station was proposed in at the south end of the Las Colinas
Urban Center, and another station was proposed in the North Urban
Center near Northwest Highway. The Royal station was proposed south of
Royal before the alignment turned to the west. Another Station was
proposed near the junction SH 161 and SH 114. The sixth station was
located near Beltline Road and the terminus station was located at the
north end of DFW Airport.
Refined Build Alternative--The proposed project for environmental
review consists of an LRT Line of approximately 9.5 miles. The LRT
alignment begins at its junction with the Carrollton LRT Line north of
the Bachman LRT Station and extends southwest on aerial structure over
IH-35E and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River parallel to Spur 482. Near
the Central Freight property and Texas Stadium parking lots, the
alignment turns to the northwest, returns to grade and crosses under
Loop 12 on the north side of SH 114. The alignment continues along the
north side of SH 114 and crosses under the BNSF RR to enter the
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Las Colinas Urban Center area. The alignment continues at-grade through
the Las Colinas Urban Center in the median of Lake Carolyn Parkway.
From the Urban Center, the proposed alignment crosses west over SH 114
and returns to grade north of Hidden Ridge Drive. The alignment turns
south, then west with potential grade separations at Hidden Ridge
Drive, MacArthur Boulevard and Walnut Hill Lane. Near Walnut Hill Lane
the alignment enters into right-of-way that has been preserved for rail
access into DFW International Airport. Entering onto airport property,
the alignment crosses over SH 114 and Beltline Road before returning
grade at the terminus station.
Station Locations: Six stations are proposed within the Irving/DFW
corridor: University of Dallas, South Las Colinas, North Urban Center,
Hidden Ridge, North Lake College, and Belt Line Road. The University of
Dallas station is located between the main lanes and service road of
westbound SH 114 south of Tom Braniff Drive. The at-grade South Las
Colinas Station is proposed in at the south end of the Las Colinas
Urban Center, and another at-grade station is proposed in the North
Urban Center near Northwest Highway and SH 114. The Hidden Ridge Drive
station is proposed to serve the large corporate complexes in the area
west of SH 114. A station is located north of the campus to serve North
Lake College and the surrounding area. The terminus station is proposed
near Belt Line Road. Alignment and station options will be explored
further during scoping.
Segmentation Analysis: Airport access options extending from Belt
Line Road to the DFW Central Terminal Area will continue to be studied
and evaluated separately by DART, DFW Airport, and others, but are not
proposed to be part of this EIS. Airport access by rail was the subject
of the DFW International Airport Rail Planning and Implementation Study
(NCTCOG, 2002). This study identified several LRT options that could
pivot of the proposed terminus of the Refined Build Alternative to
serve the Central Terminal Area of DFW Airport.
As DART explored serving the core of DFW Airport as part of this
project it became apparent that there were many unresolved issues
regarding airport access. As a result there is a growing number of
alignment alternatives to serve DFW. Each of these alternatives
terminates at one of several proposed locations. Also DFW is planning
terminal and taxiway expansions that could potentially impact the DART
project.
As a result of a multi-agency coordination meeting that included
the North Central Texas Council of Governments, FTA, FAA, DFW Airport,
The-T, DCTA and DART it was decided that it would be prudent exclude
airport access as part of this EIS. This would allow DART the
opportunity to advance the Refined Build Alternative which vital
component of DART's Transit System Plan while resolving the numerous
complex issues associated with serving the Core area of DFW Airport.
FTA and DART have determined that terminating the project evaluated
in this EIS at Belt Line Road is appropriate. As described below, the
Refined Build Alternative and a future alignment that would serve the
Central Terminus Area of DFW airport have independent utility.
Refined Build Alternative--The Northwest Corridor to
Irving is a 9.5-mile corridor serving the City of Irving. Major
destinations along the corridor include: the University of Dallas, the
Las Colinas Urban Center (one of the largest employment centers in the
region), North Lake Community College and several planned developments.
In addition the corridor will serve many residential communities in the
City of Irving as well as other commuters who regularly use the State
Highway 114 corridor.
Future Rail Service to the Central Terminus Area of DFW
International Airport--Depending on the selected alignment this will be
a 3 to 6 mile independent project that would provide rail access to DFW
airport from the entire DART LRT System. It will also provide an
interface between DART and The-T and DCTA.
Additional Alternatives--Any additional alternatives that emerge
during scoping, that reasonably address the project's purpose and need,
and that have not been previously evaluated, will be considered.
IV. Probable Effects
The FTA and DART will evaluate all significant environmental,
social, and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS.
Impact areas to be addressed include: Land use, zoning, and economic
development; secondary developments; land acquisition, displacements,
and relocation of existing uses; cultural resource impacts including
impacts on historical and archaeological resources and parklands/
recreational areas; visual and aesthetic qualities; neighborhood
compatibility; environmental justice; natural resource impacts
including air quality, wetlands, water resources, and wildlife; noise
and vibration; hazardous materials; energy; safety and security;
utilities; traffic and transportation impacts and airport operations.
Potential impacts will be addressed for the long-term operation of each
alternative and the short-term construction period. Measures to avoid,
minimize, or mitigate all adverse impacts will be identified,
evaluated, and adopted as appropriate.
V. FTA Procedures
In accordance with FHWA/FTA guidance on linking the planning and
NEPA processes at http://www.environment.fta.dot.gov/streamlining/lpn_guidance.htm
, the results of the Northwest Corridor Major Investment
Study (DART, 2000), The DFW International Airport Rail Planning and
Implementation Study (NCTCOG, 2002), and the Northwest Corridor to
Irving/DFW Scoping Information Document (DART, 2005) will be
scrutinized during scoping, and incorporated by reference into the EIS,
as appropriate. All documents pertaining to this study are available on
line at http://www.dart.org/nwdfwcorridor.asp In addition, information regarding DART's ongoing System Planning effort can be found at http://www.dart.org/transitsystemplan2030.asp.
The MIS and the DFW International Airport Rail Planning and
Implementation Study are expected to contribute to the statement of the
project's purpose and need, and to the evaluation of transportation
systems management alternatives. The impacts of each alternative will
be assessed, and, if necessary, the alternative will be revised or
additional alternatives will be developed to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate any adverse impacts.
In accordance with FTA policy, all Federal environmental laws,
regulations, and executive orders affecting project development,
including but not limited to the regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, the
joint FHWA/FTA environmental regulations (23 CFR part 771), the
project-level conformity requirements of the Clean Air Act, Section 404
of the Clean Water Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the
Endangered Species Act, Section 4(f) of the DOT Act, etc. will be
addressed to the maximum extent practicable during the NEPA process.
After its publication, the Draft EIS will be available for public
review and comment. One or more public hearings will be held during the
Draft EIS public comment period. On the basis of the Draft EIS and
comments received, the
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preferred alternative will be further refined as necessary, and the
Final EIS will be prepared.
Issued on: May 5, 2005.
Robert C. Patrick,
FTA Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 05-9389 Filed 5-10-05; 8:45 am]
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