[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20169-20170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07661]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Project in New York, New York
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), United States Department
of Transportation (USDOT).
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment for the
Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Construction.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) has prepared an Environmental Assessment
(EA) in coordination with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for the
construction of an underground concrete casing to preserve a right-of-
way (ROW) (the proposed Project) for the future expansion of rail
service between New Jersey and New York and to support Amtrak's efforts
to improve the resiliency of the rail system in the Northeast Corridor
(NEC) to address future disasters. Amtrak anticipates constructing the
proposed Project using Federal funding and, as the proposed Project
sponsor, would design and construct the underground concrete casing. In
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the
Council on Environmental Quality regulations to implement NEPA, the
FRA's ``Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts'', the EA
examines the potential environmental impacts of constructing an
underground concrete casing in the Hudson Yards rail yard in New York,
NY (Hudson Yards).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please submit written comments on the
EA to Michelle W. Fishburne, USDOT, Federal Railroad Administration,
Office of Railroad Policy and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
W36-428, Washington, DC 20590 or via email at
[email protected].
DATES: Written comments on the EA will be accepted on or before April
29, 2013.
[[Page 20170]]
ADDRESSES: The EA is available for review at the FRA Office of Railroad
Policy and Development at the address listed above and locally at the
New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York,
NY10018-2788; Phone (212) 275-6975. The EA is also available for review
on the FRA Web site at http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0214 .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Amtrak proposes to construct an underground
concrete casing to preserve a ROW underneath Hudson Yards for the
future expansion of rail service between New Jersey and New York and to
support Amtrak's efforts to improve the resiliency of the rail system
to address future disasters in the NEC.
Construction of the Project is proposed at this time because a real
estate development corporation (Developer), through an agreement with
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Long Island
Railroad (LIRR), has begun constructing a development in the area above
Hudson Yards (referred to as the Overbuild Project). The Developer has
all necessary local and state approvals for the Overbuild Project and
started construction in the southern portion of Hudson Yards, south of
the proposed Project site, in December 2012. Amtrak proposes to
construct the underground concrete casing in conjunction with the
Overbuild Project in order to preserve an underground ROW as a viable
location for a future tunnel into New York's Penn Station. If the
Developer builds the immense foundations and platform for the Overbuild
Project, the ROW underneath the Overbuild Project would be permanently
lost as an alignment for a new tunnel entering Penn Station from the
west.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C.
Sec. 4321 et seq., (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and FRA's ``Procedures for
Considering Environmental Impacts,'' 64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999) and 78
FR 2713 (Jan. 14, 2013), (FRA's Environmental Procedures), Amtrak
prepared the EA in coordination with FRA, MTA and LIRR and analyzed the
potential environmental impacts of the two alternatives for the
proposed Project: ``No Action'' and ``Construct a Concrete Casing.''
FRA is publishing this notice to solicit public comments prior to
making a final NEPA determination on the proposed Project. The review
period for the EA shall extend to May 1, 2013. FRA will review the
comments in accordance with NEPA, CEQ regulations, and FRA's
Environmental Procedures. If FRA determines the proposed Project will
not have any foreseeable significant environmental impacts, FRA will
issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) describing the
agency's decision and the basis for it. Any FONSI issued by FRA will be
consistent with 40 CFR 1508.13 and section 11 of FRA's Environmental
Procedures (64 FR at 28551).
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2013.
Corey Hill,
Director, Office of Passenger and Freight Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013-07661 Filed 4-2-13; 8:45 am]
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