[Federal Register: September 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 185)]
[Notices]
[Page 54890-54893]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23se08-139]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement on the Proposed
Southwest Transitway Project in Hennepin, Minnesota
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
on the Proposed Southwest Transitway Project in Hennepin County,
Minnesota.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Hennepin
County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) are planning to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Southwest
Transitway Project, a 14-mile corridor of transportation improvements
that links Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Edina, Hopkins, St. Louis Park,
and Minneapolis neighborhoods and
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downtown Minneapolis. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Minnesota Environmental
Policy Act (MEPA) as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA-LU). The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to alert
interested parties regarding the plan to prepare the EIS to provide
information on the nature of the proposed transit project, to invite
participation in the EIS process, including comments on the scope of
the EIS, including the project purpose and need, the alternatives to be
studied, and the potential social, economic, environmental and
transportation impacts to be evaluated.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS by all interested
individuals and organizations, public agencies, and Native American
Tribes on the scope of the EIS, including the purpose and need for the
proposed action; alternatives that may be less costly or have less
environmental or community impacts while achieving similar
transportation objectives; and the identification of any significant
social, economic, or environmental issues relating to the alternatives
are invited. Public scoping meetings will be held to accept comments on
the scope of the EIS. The scoping meetings will be composed of a one
hour public open house followed by a formal public hearing hosted by
the HCRRA and will be held at the following locations on the following
dates:
Tuesday, October 7, 2008: 2 p.m. open house, 3 p.m. public hearing,
Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis,
MN 55487.
Tuesday October 14, 2008: 5 p.m. open house, 6 p.m. public hearing, St.
Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Boulevard, St. Louis Park, MN
55416.
Thursday, October 23, 2008: 5 p.m. open house, 6 p.m. public hearing,
Eden Prairie City Hall, 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
The locations for all scoping meetings are accessible to persons
with disabilities. Any individual who requires special assistance, such
as a sign language interpreter, to participate in a scoping meeting
should contact Ms. Katie Walker, AICP, Transit Project Manager,
Hennepin County, Housing, Community Works & Transit, 417 North 5th
Street, Suite 320, Minneapolis, MN 55401, Telephone: (612) 348-9260; e-
mail: Katie.Walker@co.hennepin.mn.us. Requests for special assistance
should be made two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting.
Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and are
available by clicking on the Southwest Transitway Web site at
www.southwesttransitway.org. Hard copies of the scoping materials are
available from Ms. Katie Walker, AICP, at 417 North 5th Street, Suite
320, Minneapolis, MN 55401, Telephone: (612) 348-2190; e-mail:
Katie.Walker@co.hennepin.mn.us. An interagency scoping meeting will be
scheduled with agencies having an interest in the proposed project.
In addition to receiving comments at the public hearings, the
public may submit comments by e-mail, mail, fax, or via the Web site.
ADDRESSES: Written Comments Should Be Sent To: Ms. Katie Walker, AICP,
Transit Project Manager, Hennepin County, Housing, Community Works &
Transit, 417 North 5th Street, Suite 320, Minneapolis, MN 55401,
Telephone: (612) 348-2190; e-mail: Katie.Walker@co.hennepin.mn.us.;
Fax: (612) 348-9710; or can be made at www.southwesttransitway.org.
Comments will be accepted until 5 PM on November 7, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mr. David Werner at FTA, Region V,
200 West Adams Street, Suite 320, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Telephone:
(312) 353-2789; e-mail: David.Werner@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Project would provide for
transit improvements within the Southwest Corridor, which extends
approximately 14 miles from downtown Minneapolis to Eden Prairie
through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Minnetonka. The proposed project
was the subject of an Alternatives Analysis (AA), which recommended
three light rail transit (LRT) alternatives and one Enhanced Bus
alternative for inclusion in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The proposed project would provide high-frequency (7.5 minute peak),
bi-directional transit service 20 hours per day seven days per week.
Stations are proposed at \1/2\ to 1 mile intervals providing service to
key activity centers including, but not limited to, downtown
Minneapolis, the new Twins Baseball Stadium, the Walker Art Center, the
Minneapolis Convention Center, Eat Street, Uptown, Calhoun Village/
Commons, Methodist Hospital, Excelsior/Grand, Cargill, SuperValu, Opus,
Golden Triangle, and the Eden Prairie Center Mall.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The intent of the Southwest Transitway Project is to improve
mobility, further develop multi-modal options, and increase
transportation choices for the traveling public. The overall goals of
the proposed project are to: (1) Improve mobility; (2) provide a cost-
effective, efficient travel option; (3) protect the environment; (4)
preserve and protect the quality of life in the study area and the
region; and, (5) support economic development.
The Southwest Transitway was first identified as a potential
transitway in the mid-1980s reflecting the projected strong growth for
this area by the Metropolitan Council. Since the mid-1980s numerous
studies by the Metropolitan Council, Mn/DOT, and Hennepin County have
documented the transportation needs of the study area. These studies
are available for review at the Southwest Transitway Web site
www.southwesttransitway.org. The Southwest Transitway is identified in
the Metropolitan Council's Transportation Policy Plan (TPP) as a Tier 2
transitway www.metrocouncil.org.
With Southwest Transitway communities projected to encompass 25
percent of the regional employment base by 2030, the Twin Cities region
needs to maintain the ability to travel to, from, and through Southwest
Transitway communities efficiently, and at acceptable cost. The six
communities that make up the Southwest Transitway study area need to
accommodate additional transportation capacity while preserving the
corridor's business advantages, environmental features, and quality of
life for residents.
Additional considerations supporting the project's need include:
Declining mobility is being experienced by residents, workers and
visitors to the study area. This is caused by travel resulting from the
high employment and residential growth of the area, which is
outstripping the capacity of the existing transportation system.
Currently 27 percent of all regional trips begin or end in the corridor
and 65 percent of the trips generated within the corridor stay in the
corridor. The study area includes two of the region's largest
employment centers, downtown Minneapolis with over 140,000 jobs, and
Golden Triangle with over 50,000 jobs. Travel on area roadways has
increased by 80 to 150 percent over the past 25 years. This has led to
increasing congestion with no plans by the state, region or county to
significantly expand the roadway system. The area is projected to
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continue to grow with a significant portion of the 1 million people and
500,000 jobs the region expects to add by 2030 locating within the
study area.
Competitive, reliable transit options are not available for many
study area choice riders and transit dependent persons. Due to
congested roadways and circuitous roadway networks, it is difficult to
provide the significant travel time advantages that would attract
choice riders to the transit system and to adequately serve transit-
dependent people living in and around downtown Minneapolis attempting
to access the growing job base in the study area. The study area
roadway network is oriented north-south/east-west where development
patterns have radiated outward from downtown Minneapolis on a diagonal.
The number of transit-dependent people is growing in the study area,
primarily in and around downtown Minneapolis. The roadway network
through these neighborhoods is circuitous and has many one-way streets.
Alternatives To Be Considered
After a two-year study of transit alternatives, three light rail
transit routes (Build Alternatives) have been identified for further
evaluation in the EIS to determine which would best serve the study
area. Other alternatives currently under consideration include a future
No-Build Alternative, and a Transportation Systems Management (TSM)
Alternative, also known as Enhanced Bus.
Build Alternatives To Be Considered
Light Rail Transit 1A: This alternative would operate from downtown
Minneapolis to Eden Prairie (TH 5) via an extension of the Hiawatha LRT
tracks on 5th Street past the downtown Minneapolis Intermodal Station
to Royalston Avenue to the Kenilworth Corridor through Minneapolis and
the HCRRA property through St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden
Prairie terminating at TH 5 and the HCRRA's property. Stations are
proposed at Royalston Ave., Van White Blvd., Penn Ave., 21st St., West
Lake St., Beltline Blvd., Wooddale Ave., Louisiana Ave., Blake Rd.
downtown Hopkins, Shady Oak Rd., Rowland Rd., TH 62, and TH 5.
Light Rail Transit 3A: This alternative would operate from downtown
Minneapolis to Eden Prairie (Mitchell Road/TH 5) via an extension of
the Hiawatha LRT tracks on 5th Street past the downtown Minneapolis
Intermodal Station to Royalston Avenue to the Kenilworth Corridor
through Minneapolis, the HCRRA property in St. Louis Park and Hopkins,
to new right-of-way through the Opus/Golden Triangle area, the Eden
Prairie Major Center area terminating at TH 5 and Mitchell Road.
Stations are proposed at Royalston Ave., Van White Blvd., Penn Ave.,
21st St., West Lake St., Beltline Blvd. Wooddale Ave., Louisiana Ave.,
Blake Rd., downtown Hopkins, Shady Oak Rd., Opus, City West, Golden
Triangle, Eden Prairie Town Center, SouthWest Station, and Mitchell Rd.
Light Rail Transit 3C: This alternative would operate from downtown
Minneapolis to Eden Prairie (Mitchell Road/TH 5) via Nicollet Mall to
Nicollet Avenue (tunnel from Franklin Avenue to 28th Street), the
Midtown Corridor through Minneapolis, the HCRRA property in St. Louis
Park and Hopkins, to new right-of-way through the Opus/Golden Triangle,
the Eden Prairie Major Center area terminating at TH 5 and Mitchell
Road. Stations are proposed at 4th St., 8th St., 12th St., Franklin
Ave., 28th St., Lyndale Ave., Hennepin Ave., West Lake St., Beltline
Blvd., Wooddale Ave., Louisiana Ave., Blake Rd., downtown Hopkins,
Shady Oak Rd., Opus, City West, Golden Triangle, Eden Prairie Town
Center, SouthWest Station, and Mitchell Rd.
No-Build Alternative
The No-Build Alternative contemplates roadway and transit facility
and service improvements (other than the proposed project) planned,
programmed and included in the Financially Constrained Regional
Transportation Policy Plan to be implemented by the Year 2030. It
includes minor transit service expansions and/or adjustments that
reflect a continuation of existing service policies as identified by
the Metropolitan Council. The No-Build Alternative serves as the NEPA
baseline against which environmental effects of other alternatives,
including the proposed project, will be measured.
Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative
The TSM Alternative (Enhanced Bus) is designed to provide lower
cost, operationally-oriented improvements to address the project's
purpose and need as much as possible without a major transit
investment. It includes minor modifications to the existing express
service, and would augment Metro Transit and SouthWest Transit service
between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins, and St.
Louis Park. This alternative will serve as the New Starts Baseline
against which the cost-effectiveness of the proposed project will be
measured, and includes improvements identified in the No-Build
Alternative.
In addition to the above described alternatives, other additional
reasonable transit alternatives identified through the scoping process
that provide similar transportation benefits while reducing or avoiding
adverse impacts will be evaluated for potential inclusion in the EIS.
Because of the sensitive adjacent land uses located in many parts of
this corridor, all alternatives will need to consider a full range of
design and mitigation solutions to enlist the support of local
communities for the completion of this line.
Probable Effects
The EIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the Public
The purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public setting
the effects of the proposed project and its alternatives on the
physical, human, and natural environment. The FTA and the HCRRA will
evaluate all significant environmental, social, and economic impacts of
the construction and operation of the proposed project. Impact areas to
be addressed include: transportation; land use, zoning, and economic
development; secondary development; land acquisition, displacements,
and relocations; cultural resource, including impacts on historical and
archaeological resources and parklands/recreation areas; neighborhood
compatibility and environmental justice; natural resource impacts
including air quality, wetlands, water resources, noise, vibration;
energy use; safety and security; wildlife and ecosystems, including
endangered species. Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate all
adverse impacts will be identified and evaluated.
Regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public involvement in the EIS process.
Section 6002 of SAFETEAU-LU requires that FTA and the HCRRA do the
following: (1) Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal
agencies and Indian tribes that may have an interest in the proposed
project to become ``participating agencies,'' (2) provide an
opportunity for involvement by participating agencies and the public in
helping to define the purpose and need for a proposed project, as well
as the range of alternatives for consideration in the EIS, and (3)
establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation in,
and comment on, the environmental review process. An
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invitation to become a participating agency, with the scoping materials
appended, will be extended to other Federal and non-Federal agencies
and Native American tribes that may have an interest in the proposed
project. It is possible that FTA and the HCRRA will not be able to
identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and tribes that may have
such an interest. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or tribe interested
in the proposed project that does not receive an invitation to become a
participating agency should notify, at the earliest opportunity, the
Project Manager identified above under ADDRESSES.
A comprehensive public involvement program will be developed and a
Coordination Plan for public and interagency involvement will be
created and posted on the project Web site at
www.southwesttransitway.org.
The public involvement program includes a full range of involvement
activities including the project Web site (referenced above); outreach
to local officials, community and civic groups, and the public; and
development and distribution of project newsletters. Specific
mechanisms for involvement will be detailed in the public involvement
program.
The public and participating agencies are invited to consider and
comment on this preliminary statement of the purpose and need for the
proposed Southwest Transitway project. Suggestions for modifications to
the statement of purpose and need for the proposed project are welcome
and will be given serious consideration. Comments on potentially
significant environmental impacts that may be associated with the
proposed project and alternatives are also welcome. There will be
additional opportunities to participate in the scoping process at the
public meetings announced in this notice.
The HCRRA will be seeking New Starts funding for the proposed
project under 49 U.S.C. 5309 and, therefore, will be subject to New
Starts regulations (49 CFR Part 611). The New Starts regulation
requires a planning Alternatives Analysis that leads to the selection
of a locally preferred alternative and the inclusion of the locally
preferred alternative as part of the long-range transportation plan
adopted by the Metropolitan Council. The New Starts regulation also
requires the submission of certain project-justification information in
support of a request to initiate preliminary engineering, and this
information is normally developed in conjunction with the NEPA process.
Pertinent New Starts evaluation criteria will be included in the Final
EIS.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with NEPA and its
implementing regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and with the FTA/Federal Highway
Administration regulations ``Environmental Impact and Related
Procedures'' (23 CFR part 771). In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105(a)
and 771.133, FTA will comply with all Federal environmental laws,
regulations, and executive orders applicable to the proposed project
during the environmental review process to the maximum extent
practicable. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the
environmental and public hearing provisions of Federal transit laws (49
U.S.C. 5301(e), 5323(b), and 5324), the project-level air quality
conformity regulation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
(40 CFR part 93), the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part
230), the regulation implementing Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act (36 CFR part 800), the regulation implementing Section
7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the
Department of Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135), and Executive Orders
12898 on Environmental justice, 11988 on Floodplain Management, and
11990 on Wetlands.
Issued on September 18, 2008.
Marisol R. Simon,
Regional Administrator, Region V, Federal Transit Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-22257 Filed 9-22-08; 8:45 am]
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