[Federal Register: September 1, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 168)]
[Notices]
[Page 45276-45279]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01se09-120]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed
Transit Improvements to the Red Line, Cook County, IL
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The FTA, as the lead federal agency, and the Chicago Transit
Authority (CTA) intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Red Line Extension Project in Cook County, Illinois. CTA
operates the rapid transit system in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
The proposed project, described more completely within, would extend
the Red Line, a heavy rail transit line, to connect the 95th Street
Station to 130th Street. The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to
alert interested parties regarding the intent to prepare the EIS, to
provide information on the nature of the proposed project and possible
alternatives, to invite public participation in the EIS process.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS, including the
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the
impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the
evaluations should be sent to CTA on or before October 27, 2009. See
ADDRESSES below for the address to which written public comments may be
sent. Two public scoping meetings to accept comments on the scope of
the EIS will be held on the following dates:
Tuesday, September 22, 2009; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; at the
Historic Pullman Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60628.
Thursday, September 24, 2009; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; at the
Woodson Regional Chicago Public Library, 9525 S. Halsted Street,
Chicago, IL 60628.
The buildings 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 the
scoping meeting should contact Mr. Darud Akbar, Government and
Community Relations Officer, at 312-681-2708 or
dakbar@transitchicago.com, five days prior to the meeting.
Scoping materials describing the project purpose and need and the
alternatives proposed for analysis will be available at the meetings
and on the CTA Web site http://www.transitchicago.com/RedEIS. Paper
copies of the scoping materials may also be obtained from Mr. Darud
Akbar, Government and Community Relations Officer, at 312-681-2708 or
dakbar@transitchicago.com. An interagency scoping meeting will be held
on Thursday, September 24 at 10:30 a.m. at CTA Headquarters, in
Conference Room 2C, 567 W. Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60661.
Representatives of Native American tribal governments and of all
federal, state, regional and local agencies that may have an interest
in any aspect of the project will be invited to be participating or
cooperating agencies, as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: Comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings or
they may be sent to Mr. Jeffrey Busby, General Manager, Strategic
Planning, Chicago Transit Authority, P. O. Box 7602, Chicago, IL 60680-
7602, or via e-mail at RedExtension@transitchicago.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Werner, Community Planner,
Federal Transit Administration, Region V, 200 West Adams Street, Suite
320, Chicago, IL 60606, phone 312-353-3879, e-mail
david.werner@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scoping
The FTA and CTA invite all interested individuals and
organizations, public agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment
on
[[Page 45277]]
the scope of the EIS, including the project's purpose and need, the
alternatives to be studied, the impacts to be evaluated, and the
evaluation methods to be used. Comments should address (1) alternatives
that may better achieve the project's need and purposes at less cost or
with fewer adverse impacts, and (2) any significant environmental
impacts relating to the alternatives.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ``scoping'' (40 CFR
1501.7) has specific and fairly limited objectives, one of which is to
identify the significant issues associated with alternatives that will
be examined in detail in the document, while simultaneously limiting
consideration and development of issues that are not truly significant.
It is in the NEPA scoping process that potentially significant
environmental impacts--those that give rise to the need to prepare an
environmental impact statement--should be identified; impacts that are
deemed not to be significant need not be developed extensively in the
context of the impact statement, thereby keeping the statement focused
on impacts of consequence. Transit projects may also generate
environmental benefits; these should be highlighted as well--the impact
statement process should draw attention to positive impacts, not just
negative impacts.
Once the scope of the environmental study, including significant
environmental issues to be addressed, is settled, an annotated outline
of the document will be prepared and shared with interested agencies
and the public. The outline serves at least three worthy purposes,
including (1) Documenting the results of the scoping process; (2)
contributing to the transparency of the process; and (3) providing a
clear roadmap for concise development of the environmental document.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the Red Line Extension project is to reduce travel
times to jobs for far South Side and South Suburban residents and
improve the performance of the existing Red Line 95th Street Station
terminal. The project would also provide an opportunity to support
economic development initiatives.
The need for the project is based on the following considerations:
lack of park-and-ride, passenger drop-off, and poor pedestrian
facilities limit access to the existing 95th Street terminal of the Red
Line; customers accessing the existing terminal facility by bus
experience measureable delays resulting from poor performance of
surrounding arterial intersections, insufficient space for bus loading
and unloading, and insufficient space for bus layovers; congested bus
and passenger conditions at the existing terminal station and bus
facility result in safety issues and diminish the attractiveness of
transit as an alternative to other travel modes; roadway performance in
the project area is adversely impacted by narrow arterial streets and
frequent at-grade freight rail crossings; and, the project area
population is highly transit-dependent, minority and low-income.
Project Location and Environmental Setting
The proposed heavy rail transit (HRT) project area lies about 11
miles south of the Chicago Central Area (commonly referred to as the
``Loop''). The limits of the project area are from 95th Street on the
north to 130th Street on the south. The Calumet-Sag Channel/Little
Calumet River extends along the southern edge of the project area and
Lake Calumet is located to the east.
The project area includes parts of eight community areas in the far
South of the City of Chicago. Community areas include Washington
Heights, Morgan Park, Roseland, Pullman, West Pullman, South Deering,
Hegewisch and Riverdale. The project area encompasses significant
residential (primarily single family), industrial (existing and
vacant), transportation, and commercial developments.
The locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the proposed Red Line
Extension project was approved by the Chicago Transit Board for further
study in the EIS on August 12, 2009. The LPA would extend the heavy
rail transit line from the 95th Street Station south along the I-57
Expressway to the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) right-of-way near
Eggleston Avenue. From that point, the line extends south from I-57
along the UPRR corridor to approximately 111th Street where it turns
southeast along existing railroad and industrial right-of-way to
terminate in the vicinity of 130th Street. The extension would add 5.3
new route miles of rapid transit to the existing Red Line, four
additional stations at approximately 103rd, 111th, 115th, and 130th
Streets with new park-and-ride and bus terminal facilities at each
station.
Alternatives
The Red Line Extension Final Alternatives Analysis Report (2009)
prepared by CTA identified three alternatives for further consideration
in the EIS. These alternatives include: A No Build Alternative,
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative, and the UPRR HRT
Alternative (the LPA). Additionally, the Halsted Street HRT Alternative
from the Red Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Screen 3 Report
(2009) will be considered in the EIS.
No Build Alternative: The No Build Alternative is defined as the
existing transportation system, plus any committed transportation
improvements. Committed transportation improvements include projects
that are already in the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
financially constrained Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The
Red Line project area has five bridge reconstructions, and several road
improvement projects included in the FY 2007-2012 TIP. These
improvements are primarily on highway segments in the vicinity of the
project area and generally do not lie adjacent to or intersect with the
proposed TSM or HRT alternatives.
Bridge projects in the TIP include: Illinois 1 (Halsted Street) at
the Little Calumet River; I-94 (Bishop Ford Expressway) at the Stony
Island ramp and at Cottage Grove Road; I-57 at 103rd Street; and I-57
at Genoa Road. Road improvement projects include a variety of
landscaping, safety fencing, and resurfacing projects, and coordination
of signal timing on Stony Island Avenue from 95th Street north, and on
95th Street from Western Avenue east to Ewing Avenue. There is also a
bicycle and pedestrian multi-use trail proposed to extend from the
existing Centennial Trail in Lemont to the Burnham Greenway in Burnham.
Bus transit service under the No Build Alternative would be focused
on the preservation of existing services and projects. No significant
changes to bus service are anticipated in the project area. All
elements of the No Build Alternative are included in each of the other
alternatives.
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative: A TSM
Alternative is proposed because it is required as part of the New
Starts evaluative process; in this case, it does not meet the purposes
of and need for the proposed project. The TSM Alternative is Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) that would operate between the 95th Street Station and
130th Street via East 95th Street, Michigan Avenue, East 127th Street,
South Indiana Avenue, and East 130th Street. Proposed BRT service would
operate in mixed traffic with traffic signal priority along 95th
Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street.
The TSM Alternative is 5.5 miles long and would include four
intermediate
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stops at 103rd, 111th, 115th, and 130th Streets with park-and-ride
facilities proposed at all of the new stops. The 95th Street terminal
would be expanded to extend the existing bus bays along State and
Lafayette Streets approximately 250-feet north to 94th Street to
improve circulation and safety. The TSM alternative assumes that buses
from the south would continue to serve the 95th Street Station.
UPRR Heavy Rail Transit (HRT) Alternative/Locally Preferred
Alternative (LPA): The proposed LPA would operate between the existing
Red Line 95th Street Station and 130th Street. The line would be on an
elevated structure from the 95th Street as it heads south along the I-
57 Expressway for nearly one-half mile until reaching the UPRR corridor
in the vicinity of Eggleston Avenue. It would then turn south along the
UPRR corridor to approximately 111th Street where it would turn
southeast. East of South Prairie Avenue the alignment would cross over
the Canadian National/Metra tracks near 119th Street where it would
transition to an at-grade profile and then continue southeast along the
former Michigan Central/Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) railroad right-of-way
to terminate in the vicinity of 130th Street.
The LPA is 5.3 miles long and would include three new intermediate
stations at 103rd, 111th, and 115th Streets and a new terminal station
at 130th Street with new park-and-ride and bus terminal facilities at
each station. This alternative assumes that buses from the south would
be re-routed to serve the new intermediate and terminal stations to
speed passenger travel to downtown Chicago.
The new HRT tracks would be placed immediately adjacent to the UPRR
right-of-way on either the west side (West Side Option) or the east
side (East Side Option). Both options would require adjacent property
acquisition to accommodate the CTA right-of-way and station facilities
at 103rd, 111th, and 115th Streets. Based on a preliminary analysis of
the conceptual alignment plans and Cook County parcel data, the West
Side Option would require up to 112 property acquisitions and/or
displacements and the East Side Option would require 138. In addition,
the West Side Option could impact Fernwood Parkway between 99th Street
and 103rd Streets which could trigger a Section 4(f) of the Department
of Transportation Act evaluation in the EIS. The East Side Option could
impact Wendell Smith Park adjacent to the I-57 Expressway which could
also trigger a Section 4(f) evaluation in the EIS. Kensington
Playground Park near 118th Street would not be impacted by either
option.
There are two options for the 130th Street terminal station. The
Red Line extension would continue south along the IHB right-of-way to
either a south or west terminal station location along the north side
of 130th Street, just west of the I-94 Bishop Ford Freeway.
Halsted Street HRT Alternative: The proposed Halsted Street HRT
Alternative would be operated on an elevated structure between the
existing Red Line 95th Street Station and the Halsted Street/Vermont
Avenue intersection in the vicinity of 127th Street. The alignment
would follow the median of I-57 Expressway until reaching Halsted
Street. It would then turn south onto Halsted Street and continue in
the median to Vermont Avenue.
The Halsted Street HRT Alternative is 5.0 miles long and would
include three new intermediate stations at 103rd, 111th, 119th Streets
and a new terminal station at Vermont Avenue with new park-and-ride and
bus terminal facilities at the intermediate and terminal stations. This
alternative assumes that buses from the south would be re-routed to
serve the new intermediate and terminal stations to speed passenger
travel to downtown Chicago.
Near the proposed station areas, there may be additional impacts to
adjacent land owners if land acquisition would be required for station
facilities such as bus turnarounds or parking facilities. This would be
most applicable at the proposed terminal station at 127th/Vermont since
several properties are located close to Halsted Street in this segment
and there may be higher off-street facility needs.
Possible Effects
The purpose of this EIS process is to study, in a public setting,
the effects of the proposed project and its alternatives on the quality
of the human environment. Areas of investigation for transit projects
generally include, but are not limited to: Land use, development
potential, land acquisition and displacements, historic resources,
visual and aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise and vibration,
energy use, safety and security, and ecosystems, including threatened
and endangered species; investigation may reveal that the proposed
project will not affect or affect substantially many of those areas.
Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse
impacts will be identified.
FTA Procedures
The 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 SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA and CTA do the
following: (1) Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal
agencies and Native American 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 to
help 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 invitation to become a
participating or cooperating agency, with 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 CTA will not be able to identify all Federal
and non-Federal agencies and Native American tribes that may have such
an interest. Any Federal or non-Federal agency or Native American 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 and a Coordination Plan
for public and interagency involvement will be developed for the
project and posted on CTA's Web site http://www.transitchicago.com/
RedEIS. The public involvement program includes a full range of
activities including maintaining the project Web page on the CTA Web
site and outreach to local officials, community and civic groups, and
the public. Specific activities or events for involvement will be
detailed in the project's public participation plan.
The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to minimize the cost to
the taxpayer of the creation, collection, maintenance, use,
dissemination, and disposition of information. Consistent with this
goal and with principles of economy and efficiency in government, it is
FTA policy to limit insofar as possible distribution of complete
printed sets of environmental documents. Accordingly, unless a specific
request for a complete printed set of environmental documents is
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received (preferably in advance of printing), FTA and its grantees will
distribute only the executive summary of the environmental document
together with a Compact Disc of the complete environmental document. A
complete printed set of the environmental document is available for
review at the grantee's offices and elsewhere; an electronic copy of
the complete environmental document is also available on the grantee's
Web page.
CTA may seek New Starts funding for the proposed project under 49
United States Code 5309 and will, therefore, be subject to New Starts
regulations (49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 611). The New
Starts regulations also require the submission of certain project-
justification information to support a request to initiate preliminary
engineering. This information is normally developed in conjunction with
the NEPA process. Pertinent New Starts evaluation criteria will be
included in the 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).
Issued on: August 24, 2009.
Marisol R. Simon,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region V.
[FR Doc. E9-20963 Filed 8-28-09; 8:45 am]
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