[Federal Register: September 16, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 53681-53684]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16se08-111]
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Part III
Federal Transit Administration
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Early Scoping for an Alternatives Analysis of Proposed Transit
Improvements in the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor of Los Angeles,
CA; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Early Scoping Notice for an Alternatives Analysis of Proposed
Transit Improvements in the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor of Los
Angeles, CA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Early Scoping Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) issue this early
scoping notice to advise other agencies and the public that they intend
to explore, in the context of the Council on Environmental Quality's
early scoping process, methods of improving transit capacity and
service in the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor of Los Angeles,
California. The early scoping process is part of a planning
Alternatives Analysis (AA) required by Title 49 United States Code
(U.S.C.) Sec. 5309, that will lead to the selection of the
alternatives that will be subject to the appropriate environmental
process. Early scoping meetings have been planned and are announced
below.
The Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor is approximately 35 miles
in length and includes; 26.36 miles of the Harbor Subdivision that is
owned by LACMTA (BNSF Railway currently has some freight operations on
the ROW), approximately 2.5 miles to the north of the LACMTA-owned
portion right-of-way that would provide the connection to downtown Los
Angeles, and approximately 3.5-6 miles south of the LACMTA-owned
portion of the right-of-way that would provide a possible connection to
the Metro Harbor Transitway, Metro Blue Line, Port of Los Angeles
Waterfront Red Car Line or any other destinations or transit facilities
that would attract potential ridership.
The Metro-owned Harbor Subdivision Line extends 26.36 miles from
Harbor Junction at the north, near downtown Los Angeles just east of
the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue and Watson
Yard at the south, in Wilmington just east of Pacific Coast Highway
(U.S. Highway 1) and Alameda Street. The Harbor Subdivision connects or
runs adjacent to major destinations and transportation hubs including
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Metro Blue Line, Harbor
Transitway and the Port of Los Angeles. The Corridor traverses twelve
jurisdictions including the cities of Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington
Park, Inglewood, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, Manhattan Beach,
Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson and the County of Los Angeles. As it
passes through these communities, it traverses residential
neighborhoods, commercial and warehousing districts and industrial
areas including oil fields and refineries. LAX lies to the west of the
rail line along Aviation Boulevard near Century Boulevard.
The conclusion of the planning Alternatives Analysis is expected to
be the selection of a set of alternatives by the LACMTA and the
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), which is the
official metropolitan planning organization for Los Angeles. The set of
alternatives will then be the ``proposed action'' that are subject to
an appropriate environmental review under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). If the selected set of alternatives would have
significant impacts, an environmental impact statement (EIS), combined
with a California environmental impact report (EIR) would be initiated
with a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register and distribution of a
Notice of Preparation (NOP) required under the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA). Public and agency scoping of the EIS/EIR would be
conducted at that time. In particular, the purpose and need for the
project, the range of alternatives to be considered in the EIS/EIR, the
environmental and community impacts to be evaluated, and the
methodologies to be used, would be subject to public and interagency
review and comment, in accordance with 23 U.S.C. 139 and CEQA.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the planning Alternatives
Analysis, including the alternatives to be considered and the impacts
to be assessed, should be sent to LACMTA at the address below by
October 9, 2008. See ADDRESSES below for the address to which written
public comments may be sent. Early scoping meetings to accept comments
on the scope of the Alternatives Analysis will be held on the following
dates:
Tuesday, September 23, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Nakano Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive,
Torrance, CA 90503.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Banning's Landing Community Center, Gertrude 2 Room, 100 E.
Water Street, Wilmington, CA 90748.
Thursday, September 25, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Westside Park Community Center, 2061 E. Gage Avenue, Huntington Park,
CA 90255.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. El
Segundo Public Library, Friends of the Library Meeting Room, 111 W.
Mariposa Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245.
The draft purpose and need for the project and the initial set of
alternatives proposed for study will be presented at these meetings.
The buildings and facilities used for the scoping meetings are
accessible to persons with disabilities. Any individual who requires
special assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, to participate
in scoping should contact Ms. Devon Cichoski, LACMTA at 213-922-6446 or
CICHOSKID@metro.net.
Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and are also
available on the LACMTA Web site at http://www.metro.net/
harborsubdivision. Hard copies of the scoping materials are available
from Ms. Devon Cichoski, LACMTA at 213-922-6446 or CICHOSKID@metro.net.
An interagency scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, September
30, 2008, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at LACMTA, One Gateway Plaza,
3rd Floor Union Station Conference Room, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
Representatives of Native American tribal governments and of all
Federal, State and local agencies that may have an interest in any
aspect of the project will be invited by phone, letter or e-mail.
It should be noted that, in addition to the early scoping meetings
described herein, the agency and scoping meetings required under NEPA
and CEQA to identify the nature and scope of environmental issues that
should be addressed in the EIS/EIR will be held following the selection
of alternatives to go through the environmental process and issuance of
the NOI and NOP. The dates and locations for the EIS/EIR scoping
meetings will be announced at that time and will be included in the NOI
and NOP, which will be distributed in the same manner as this Early
Scoping Notice.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on this Early Scoping Notice should be sent
to Ms. Kathleen McCune, Project Manager, Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza MS 99-22-3,
Los Angeles, CA 90012, phone 213-922-7241, e-mail MCCUNEK@metro.net.
The locations of the early scoping meetings are given above under
DATES.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ray Tellis, Team Leader, Los
Angeles Metropolitan Office, Federal Transit Administration, 888 South
Figueroa Street, Suite 1850, Los Angeles, CA
[[Page 53683]]
90017, phone 213-202-3950, e-mail ray.tellis@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Early Scoping
The FTA and LACMTA invite all interested individuals and
organizations, public agencies, and Native American tribes to comment
on the scope of the planning Alternatives Analysis, including the
purpose and need for transit improvements in the corridor, the
alternatives to be considered, and the types of impacts to be
evaluated. Comments at this time should focus on the purpose and need
for transit improvements in the corridor; alternatives that may be less
costly or have less environmental impact while achieving similar
transportation objectives; and, the identification of any significant
social, economic, or environmental issues that should be considered in
developing the alternatives.
Purpose and Need for Action
The Harbor Subdivision project is expected to serve multiple
transportation markets and address unmet mobility needs throughout Los
Angeles County. Purposes of the project and needs of the community
include:
Improve mobility in southwestern Los Angeles County by
introducing reliable, high-frequency transit service options.
Enhance the regional transit network by interconnecting
existing and planned rapid transit lines.
Provide an alternative mode of transportation for
commuters who currently use the congested I-405 and I-110 corridors.
Encourage denser, transit-oriented development and land
use policies around station areas.
Improve transit accessibility for residents of underserved
communities along the corridor.
Encourage a mode shift to transit, reducing air pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions.
Alternatives
A broad range of alternatives are being considered including
various transit technologies, corridor alignments, configurations and
operations, station types and locations, and Transportation Systems
Management (TSM) improvements. In addition to these various types of
actions, the implications of taking no action (i.e., the ``no build''
alternative) will be considered in the analysis. The following
summarizes the general types of alternatives to be considered in the
analysis, understanding that a broad variety of possible alternatives,
and combinations thereof, will be initially identified and then undergo
evaluation to define the alternatives for advancement to the
environmental process. Further description of this process is provided
below under FTA Procedures.
Alternative Technologies could include proven transportation
systems such as the following: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail
Transit (LRT), Electric Multiple Unit (EMU), Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU)
in which service must conform to Metro's Clean Fuel Policies, and
Commuter Rail. In every case service would be along a portion or all of
the Harbor Subdivision corridor. Alignment alternatives will generally
follow the Harbor Subdivision corridor as much as possible. Other
routings will also be examined as part of the planning Alternatives
Analysis using a comparative methodology to evaluate their feasibility.
Potential alignment and improvement options outside the immediate
Harbor Subdivision corridor that will be studied in the planning
Alternatives Analysis include a Northern Terminus option where the
Harbor Subdivision's northern terminus is approximately 2.5 miles south
of downtown Los Angeles. Consideration will be given for connections to
Metrolink, Metro Gold, Red and Purple Lines at Los Angeles Union
Station, or the Metro Blue, Red, Purple and Expo Lines in the downtown
area, a Southern Terminus option where the southern terminus of the
Harbor Subdivision ends in Watson Yard in Wilmington just north of the
Port of Los Angeles. Analysis of alternatives will consider the most
logical location for a southern terminus. Consideration will be given
as to whether it should connect to the existing Metro Blue Line, Harbor
Transitway, Downtown Torrance area, Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red
Car Line, or some other transit facility or destination, and a Phased
Segment option where the Harbor Subdivision is over 26 miles in length,
so shorter alignment and modal alternatives will be considered in
discrete segments that can operate as cost-effective stand alone
projects. As part of the examination of discrete segments of the Harbor
Subdivision, connections with the Crenshaw Transit Corridor, LAX and
potential Metro Blue or Green Line interfaces will be evaluated. Rail &
Bus Division Support Facilities where each modal alternative will
require storage and maintenance facilities that can efficiently service
the project. Locations and alternatives for such facilities will be
identified in order that fair comparisons can be made. Station
alternatives will include variations in the number, interval distance,
location, design including whether above ground or below ground and
whether stand-alone or integrated as part of another use, and
operational characteristics.
Future No-Build Alternative--The study will consider the
transportation and environmental effects if no new major transit
investments beyond those that have already been environmentally cleared
or are implemented in this corridor. This alternative will include the
highway and transit projects in the current Metro Long Range
Transportation Plan and the 2008 Southern California Association of
Governments Regional Transportation Plan through 2030. For purposes of
the Alternatives Analysis, the major fixed guideway investments under
study for the Exposition Transit Corridor Phase 2 and Crenshaw Transit
Corridor projects would not be included in the Future No-Build
Alternative. The completion of the Metro Rapid Bus Program would be
included as well as possible additional feeder bus networks to serve
the region's major activity centers.
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--The study will
consider the effects of modest improvements in the highway and transit
systems beyond those in the Future No-Build Alternative. The TSM
Alternative would evaluate low-cost enhancements to the Future No-Build
Alternative and would emphasize transportation system upgrades such as
intersection improvements, minor road widening, traffic engineering
actions, bus route restructuring, shortened bus headways, expanded use
of articulated buses, reserved bus lanes, contra-flow lanes for buses
and High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs) on freeways, special bus ramps on
freeways, expanded park/ride facilities, express and limited-stop
service, signalization improvements, and timed-transfer operations.
In addition to the alternatives described above, other reasonable
alternatives identified through the early scoping process will be
considered for potential inclusion in the planning Alternatives
Analysis. Alternative modes, vertical or horizontal alignments, or
station locations may emerge from the early scoping process.
FTA Procedures
Early scoping is an optional element of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) process that is particularly useful in situations
where, as here, a proposed action (the locally preferred alternative)
has not been identified and
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alternative modes and major alignment variations are under
consideration in a broadly-defined corridor. While NEPA scoping
normally follows issuance of a notice of intent, which describes the
proposed action, it ``may be initiated earlier, as long as there is
appropriate public notice and enough information available on the
proposal so that the public and relevant agencies can participate
effectively.'' See the Council on Environmental Quality's ``Forty Most
Asked Questions Concerning CEQ's National Environmental Policy Act
Regulations,'' 46 FR 18026, 18030 (1981). In this case, the available
information is more than adequate to permit the public and relevant
agencies to participate effectively in early scoping and the planning
Alternatives Analysis.
LACMTA may seek New Starts funding for the proposed project under
49 U.S.C. Sec. 5309 and will, therefore, be subject to New Starts
regulation (49 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 611). The New
Starts regulation requires a planning Alternatives Analysis that leads
to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative by LACMTA and the
inclusion of the locally preferred alternative in the long-range
transportation plan adopted by the Southern California Association of
Governments. The planning Alternatives Analysis will examine
alignments, technologies, station locations, costs, funding, ridership,
economic development, land use, engineering feasibility, and
environmental factors in the corridor. The New Starts regulation also
requires the submission of certain project-justification information in
support of a request to initiate preliminary engineering. After the
identification of a proposed action at the conclusion of the planning
Alternatives Analysis, if preparation of an environmental impact
statement is warranted, a NOI will be published in the Federal Register
and the scoping of the EIS/EIR will be completed by soliciting and
considering comments on the purpose and need for the proposed action,
the range of alternatives to be considered in the EIS/EIR, and the
potentially significant environmental and community impacts to be
evaluated in the EIS/EIR.
Concurrent with publication of the NOI pursuant to NEPA, a NOP will
be distributed pursuant to CEQA. In conjunction with this final scoping
of the EIS/EIR and consistent with provisions of 23 U.S.C. 139 and
CEQA, invitations will be extended to other Federal and non-Federal
agencies that may have an interest in this matter to be participating
agencies. A plan for coordinating public and agency participation in
the environmental review process and for commenting on the issues under
consideration at various milestones of the process will be prepared and
posted on the LACMTA Web site at http://www.metro.net/
harborsubdivision.
Issued on: September 9, 2008.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-21615 Filed 9-15-08; 8:45 am]
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