[Federal Register: March 27, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 58)]
[Notices]
[Page 13507-13510]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27mr09-107]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Transit
Improvements in the Westside Extension Transit Corridor, Los Angeles,
CA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) intend to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed transit
improvements in the Westside Extension Transit Corridor in Los Angeles
County, California. The proposed project would provide for transit
improvements within the Westside Extension Transit Corridor.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act
[[Page 13508]]
(NEPA) and its implementing regulations, as well as provisions of the
recently enacted Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation
Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. LACMTA will also use the EIS document
to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which
requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The purpose of this
notice 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 (including providing comments on the scope of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), to announce that public scoping
meetings will be conducted, and to identify participating and
cooperating agency contacts.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS, should be sent to
LACMTA on or before May 7, 2009 at the address below. Public scoping
meetings to accept comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR will be held on
the following dates:
Monday, April 13, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Los
Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA
90036.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Plummer
Park, 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046.
Thursday, April 16, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at
Beverly Hills Public Library, 444 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA
90210.
Monday, April 20, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Westwood
Presbyterian Church, 10822 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
Thursday, April 23, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Santa
Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA
90401.
The project's purpose and need, and the description of alternatives
for the proposed project will be presented at these meetings. 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 a scoping meeting should
contact Ms. Jody Litvak, Community Relations Manager, Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) at 213-922-1240,
or litvakj@metro.net.
Scoping materials will be available at the meetings and on the
LACMTA Web site (http://www.metro.net/westside). Paper copies of the
scoping materials may also be obtained from Ms. Jody Litvak, Community
Relations Manager, LACMTA, at 213-922-1240, or litvakj@metro.net. An
interagency scoping meeting will be held on Monday, April 13, 2009 from
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the LACMTA, in the Windsor Conference Room, 15th
Floor, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012. 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: Written comments should be sent to Mr. David Mieger, AICP,
Project Director and Deputy Executive Officer, Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), One Gateway Plaza, Los
Angeles, CA 90012, phone 213-922-3040, e-mail address
miegerd@metro.net.
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 90017, phone 213-202-3950,
e-mail ray.tellis@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The Proposed Project
The proposed subway extension project is in western Los Angeles
County and includes portions of five jurisdictions: the Cities of Los
Angeles, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, as well as
portions of unincorporated Los Angeles County. The project is generally
bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains along Hollywood, Sunset and San
Vicente Boulevards, east to the Metro Rail stations at Hollywood/
Highland and Wilshire/Western, south to Pico Boulevard, and west to the
Pacific Ocean. Project length for the Wilshire Boulevard Subway
Alignment Heavy Rail (Alternative 1) is 12.5 miles extending from the
Metro Purple Line Wilshire/Western Station to 4th Street and Wilshire
Boulevard in Santa Monica and would include 10 stations and 1 optional
station. Wilshire/Santa Monica Boulevards Combined HRT Subway
(Alternatives 11) includes the full Wilshire Boulevard HRT Subway and
adds a second line extending west from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/
Highland Station via Santa Monica Boulevard to join the Wilshire Line
in Beverly Hills. The total combined line is 17 miles long and includes
14 stations and 1 optional station. Population and employment densities
in the Project area are among the highest in the metropolitan region,
averaging approximately 13,100 persons per square mile and 12,500 jobs
per square mile. These high population and employment concentrations
make the Project Area one of the densest places to live and work in the
county.
The proposed Westside Extension project would offer a viable
alternative to driving in the heavily congested Project Area. The
mobility improvements offered by such a system will improve job
accessibility for transit-dependent residents within, as well as
outside, the Project Area, as well as greater Los Angeles, and improve
transportation equity for all population groups. The high-quality
transit solution will complement existing transit-supporting land uses
and present new opportunities for mixed-use and high-density
development in the Project Area.
The various alternatives to be considered for the Westside
Extension project generally traverse Wilshire Boulevard from the Metro
Purple Line Wilshire/Western station to 4th Street and Wilshire
Boulevard in Santa Monica (Alternative 1), and a second line extending
west from the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Highland Station via Santa
Monica Boulevard to join the Wilshire Line in Beverly Hills
(Alternative 11).
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the project is to address the mobility needs of
residents, workers, and visitors traveling to, from, and within the
highly congested Westside Extension Study Area by providing faster and
more reliable high-capacity public transportation than existing
services which operate in mixed-flow traffic. This proposed subway
improvement will bring about a significant increase in east-west
capacity and improvement in person-mobility by reducing transit travel
time. On a county-wide level, the project will strengthen regional
access by connecting Metro bus, Metro rail, and Metrolink networks to a
high-capacity transit serving the Study Area. The overall goal of the
project is to improve mobility in the Westside Extension Transit
Corridor by extending the benefits of the existing Metro Red/Metro
Purple Line rail and bus services beyond their current termini near
Highland Avenue and/or Western Avenue in Los Angeles as far as Ocean
Avenue in Santa Monica.
Mobility problems and the need for improvements in this corridor
have been well documented in many studies, including the numerous Metro
Red Line planning studies, Southern California Association of
Governments (SCAG)
[[Page 13509]]
planning studies, the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Re-Evaluation/
Major Investment Study (2000), the Metro Rapid Demonstration Project
(2000), the Mid-City/Westside Transit Corridor Draft EIS/EIR (2001),
the American Public Transit Association Review of Wilshire Corridor
Tunneling (2005), and in the Southern California Association of
Governments Regional Transportation Plan (2008).
Most recently, an Alternatives Analysis Study for the Westside
Extension Transit Corridor as required by 49 U.S.C. 5309 for New
Starts-funded projects, was completed and, was adopted by the LACMTA
Board of Directors on January 22, 2009, and is available for review on
the project Web site at http://www.metro.net/westside. The public and
participating and cooperating agencies are invited to consider and
comment on this statement of the purpose and need for the proposed
subway project.
Alternatives
The Westside Extension proposes to extend the Metro Rail heavy rail
technology westward from the terminus of the Metro Purple Line at the
Wilshire/Western station and potentially a second leg from the Metro
Red Line at the Hollywood/Highland station. The Alternatives Analysis
(AA) Study was completed in January 2009. The process began with the
identification of initial conceptual alternatives and early public and
agency scoping. Then a set of 17 initial conceptual alternatives was
identified, screened, and narrowed down to a most promising set of five
alternatives. These five alternatives were then evaluated at a more
detailed level and as a result, the following two subway alignment
alternatives plus the No Build and Transportation Systems Management
(TSM) alternatives were recommended to be carried forward for analysis
in the EIS:
Wilshire Boulevard Alignment Heavy Rail Transit (HRT) Subway: This
alternative alignment extends underground from the Metro Purple Line
Wilshire/Western station to 4th Street and Wilshire Boulevard in Santa
Monica. It has 10 stations and 1 optional station. The alignment is
generally under Wilshire Boulevard with various route alignments
between Century City and Santa Monica.
Wilshire/Santa Monica Boulevard Combined HRT Subway: This alignment
alternative extends underground from the Metro Purple Line Wilshire/
Western station and from the Metro Red Line at the Hollywood/Highland
station to 4th Street and Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. It has 14
stations and 1 optional station.
This alternative has two alignment options in the Beverly Center
area. One option follows San Vicente Boulevard from Santa Monica
Boulevard to La Cienega Boulevard, where it curves south and then west
to meet the Wilshire Boulevard alignment. The second option follows La
Cienega Boulevard from Santa Monica Boulevard, past the Beverly Center,
and curves west at Wilshire Boulevard.
Minimum Operable Segments: A total of four Minimum Operable Segment
Alternatives will be included for analysis including the following: (1)
Wilshire Boulevard HRT Subway from Wilshire/Western to Fairfax (3
miles); (2) Wilshire Boulevard HRT Subway from Wilshire/Western to
Century City (6.5 miles); (3) Wilshire Boulevard HRT Subway from
Wilshire/Western to Westwood/UCLA vicinity (8 to 9.5 miles); and (4)
MOS 3 plus Metro Red Line HRT Subway from Hollywood/Highland
via Santa Monica Boulevard (12.5 to 14 miles).
No Build Alternative: This EIS will also consider the No Build
Alternative that includes all existing highway and transit services and
facilities and the committed highway and transit projects in the
current LACMTA Long Range Transportation Plan and the current 2008
Southern California Association of Governments' Regional Transportation
Plan. No new infrastructure would be built within the Study Area, aside
from projects currently under construction, or funded for construction
and operation by 2030 by the recently approved Measure R and identified
in the LACMTA Long Range Transportation Plan. Proposed major highway
improvements affecting the Westside Extension Transit Corridor between
now and 2030 include completing missing segments of high occupancy
vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstate 405 (I-405) Freeway. From a rail
transit perspective, the No Build Alternative includes the Metro Purple
and Metro Red Lines along the eastern and northeastern edges of the
study area. This alternative also includes a rich network of local,
express, and Metro Rapid bus routes that will continue to be provided,
with both bus route and additions and modifications proposed.
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative: The EIS will
also consider the TSM Alternative which enhances the No Build
Alternative and improves upon the existing Metro Rapid Bus service and
local bus service in the Westside Extension Transit Corridor study
area. This alternative emphasizes more frequent service and low cost
capital and operations improvements to reduce delay and enhance
mobility. Although the frequency of service is already very good, this
alternative considers improved bus services during peak periods on
selected routes.
In addition to the alternatives described above, other transit
alternatives not previously considered in the Alternatives Analysis
Study and brought forward during the public and agency scoping process
will be evaluated for potential inclusion in the EIS.
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 LACMTA will
evaluate all significant environmental, social, and economic impacts of
the construction and operation of the proposed subway project. Impact
areas to be addressed include: transportation, land use and
development, land acquisition, displacements and relocations, cultural
resources (including historical, archaeological and paleontological
resources and parklands/recreation areas), community and neighborhood
compatibility and environmental justice, visual and aesthetic impacts,
natural resources (including air quality, wetlands, water resources,
noise, vibration), climate change and energy use, safety and security,
geotechnical factors (including subsurface and seismic hazards) and
hazardous materials, and wildlife and ecosystems (including endangered
species). Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate all adverse impacts
will be identified and evaluated.
The regulations implementing NEPA, including the 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 LACMTA 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
[[Page 13510]]
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 LACMTA 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 by LACMTA on the project Web page at http://
www.metro.net/westside. The public involvement program includes a full
range of activities including a public scoping process to define the
issues of concern among all parties interested in the project: a
project Web page on the LACMTA Web site, development and distribution
of project newsletters, and other information pieces: outreach to local
officials, community and civic groups, periodic meetings with various
local agencies, organizations, and committees, the general public, and
a public hearing on release of the draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS). Specific activities or events for involvement will be detailed
in the public involvement program.
LACMTA 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 regulation requires a planning Alternatives Analysis that
leads to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative and the
inclusion of this alternative in the long-range transportation plan
adopted by the LACMTA and Southern California Association of
Governments. LACMTA has completed the planning Alternatives Analysis
Study in January 2009. 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 the National
Environmental Policy Act 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: March 24, 2009.
Leslie T. Rogers,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Region IX.
[FR Doc. E9-6917 Filed 3-26-09; 8:45 am]
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