[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 219 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67542-67544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26769]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Section 4(f) Evaluation for the I-20 East Transit Initiative Heavy Rail
Transit Extension in DeKalb County, Georgia
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS) and section 4(f) evaluation.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Metropolitan
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) intend to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and an evaluation per 49 U.S.C.
303 and 23 CFR part 774 (``Section 4(f)'') for MARTA's I-20 East Heavy
Rail Transit (HRT) Extension project, which would extend the existing
Blue Line from the Indian Creek MARTA Station to the Mall at Stonecrest
in eastern DeKalb County. The EIS and Section 4(f) Evaluation will be
prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 4(f), as well as FTA's
regulations and guidance implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500 through
1508 and 23 CFR 771.105).
The extension of the existing MARTA Blue Line HRT was selected as a
component of a multimodal Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) resulting
from the I-20 East Transit Initiative Detailed Corridor Analysis (DCA)
completed in April 2012. The LPA also includes new Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta and a new station at
Wesley Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb County. The NEPA analysis
for the BRT project is being advanced separately in an Environmental
Assessment (EA).
The FTA originally published a NOI to perform federal environmental
review for the entire I-20 East Transit Initiative LPA on August 28,
2012 (77 FR 52128). Project scoping activities for the I-20 East
Transit Initiative LPA occurred in September 2012. In today's issue of
the Federal Register, FTA is rescinding the August 28, 2012 NOI and
issuing this notice to advise interested agencies and the public
regarding updates to the Purpose and Need of the LPA that have occurred
since the scoping activities. Specifically, the Purpose and Need for
both the HRT Extension project and the BRT project have been revised to
reflect their distinct and independent utility. The revised Purpose and
Need for the HRT Extension project is presented later in this Notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description of the Proposed Project and Study Area
The first phase of the I-20 East Transit Initiative was the two
year-long DCA. This DCA built upon a number of transit studies
previously completed in the corridor and identified and evaluated
transit improvements in the I-20 East Corridor from downtown Atlanta to
the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County. The result of the DCA
was the selection of a multimodal LPA comprised of an extension of the
existing Blue heavy rail transit (HRT) line from MARTA's Indian Creek
Station to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County and new BRT
service along I-20 between downtown Atlanta and a new station at Wesley
Chapel Road, east of I-285 in DeKalb County.
The EIS, which focuses on the HRT Extension, has a study area that
extends from the MARTA Indian Creek Station
[[Page 67543]]
south for 3.5 miles along I-285, then east for approximately 8.5 miles
to the Mall at Stonecrest. The study area extends up to one-half mile
on each side of the alignment in order to evaluate the direct,
indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the implementation of
transit in the corridor.
Purpose and Need
The LPA presented to the public at Public Scoping Meetings on
September 10, 11, and 13, 2012 included both the BRT and HRT components
of the LPA. The BRT component is a separate project that is being
addressed in an Environmental Assessment. The EIS Purpose and Need has
been revised to specifically address the HRT Extension project as
follows:
The purpose of the I-20 East HRT Extension project is to increase
east-west mobility options between the City of Atlanta and Southeast
DeKalb County and to improve transit access between residential areas
and activity and employment centers both within the corridor and across
the region--with minimal impacts to private property, historical
resources and neighborhoods, and parklands by:
Providing reliable and efficient transit service with
sufficient capacity to address future travel demand projected in the I-
20 corridor through a one-seat ride into downtown Atlanta and other
activity centers in the corridor.
Providing an alternative to automobile travel on congested
roadways in the corridor, particularly the most congested areas east of
I-285.
Connecting to the existing MARTA rail network, thereby
addressing a gap in the current system and improving regional transit
accessibility and access to jobs for those who live and work in South
DeKalb County.
Completing an important link in the region's long term
transit vision, Concept 3.
Encouraging redevelopment and revitalization in key
activity centers through investment opportunities around fixed transit
stations.
The project is needed to:
Meet the needs of corridor residents by providing a high
capacity transit alternative to the current transportation system in a
corridor that does not have sufficient capacity or planned capacity to
address future travel demand. Few roadway investments are planned along
the I-20 East Corridor between I-285 and the Mall at Stonecrest through
2040.
Address increasing congestion and unreliable travel times
in the corridor by providing an alternative to automobile trips into
and out of Atlanta. Transit travel times on the current MARTA and
Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Xpress bus systems to
destinations east of I-285 are expected to double between 2010 and
2040, with the majority of travel times greater than 80 minutes.
Improve regional mobility and access to jobs and services
for corridor residents, especially the transit-dependent population.
The I-20 East corridor has a higher transit-dependent population than
the metro Atlanta region and the State of Georgia, with approximately
10% zero-car households.
Provide a direct link to the existing MARTA rail and bus
network for residents of South DeKalb County, closing a critical gap in
the existing network for the historically underserved and choice
transit riders in the corridor. By offering a connection into the
existing MARTA heavy rail system, residents and workers in the area
would be provided with a one-seat ride to a direct connection to the
City of Atlanta, the City of Decatur, DeKalb County and various
regional employment centers. Citizens east of I-285 currently have a
constrained number of options to access the MARTA system, requiring
travel either by bus or by car, experiencing (and contributing to)
congested roadway conditions and unreliable transit travel times due to
operations in mixed traffic. This expansion will close a critical gap
in the existing network by providing a proximate, direct, and reliable
link for the traditionally underserved and choice transit riders in the
corridor.
Implement the region's future transit vision as well as
regional and local land use and development plans for future investment
in the corridor. Both the Atlanta Regional Commission's (ARC) Plan 2040
financially constrained regional transportation plan and the Concept 3
Transit Vision include the I-20 Corridor as a key link in the future
regional transit network. The Regional Development Plan, DeKalb County
Comprehensive Transportation Plan, and numerous local plans and studies
incorporate fixed guideway transit as a catalyst for redevelopment in
the I-20 East corridor.
Promote reinvestment by providing the transit
infrastructure needed to support investment in transit oriented
development at key activity centers, such as the Wesley Chapel Road and
Mall at Stonecrest. There is significant projected economic benefit for
the corridor and the region through transit oriented development and
related investment opportunities that will create jobs, revitalize key
areas, and contribute to a transit oriented development pattern served
directly by the MARTA system.
Study Alternatives
MARTA completed a two year-long DCA that evaluated potential
alignments and transit technologies for transit improvements in the I-
20 East Corridor. From multiple alignment and transit technology
alternatives, an LPA was selected and adopted by the MARTA Board of
Directors in April 2012. The LPA included both a BRT and an HRT
Extension project. The EIS will evaluate vertical and horizontal
alternatives of the HRT portion of the adopted LPA as well as a No-
Build alternative. These alternatives are described as follows:
1. No Build Alternative: This alternative reflects the existing
transportation system plus any committed MARTA and Georgia Regional
Transit Authority (GRTA) local and express bus service in the corridor,
as well as all other transportation investments included in the Atlanta
Regional Commission's (ARC) long-range transportation plan. ARC is the
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Atlanta urbanized
area. The I-20 East BRT project is included in the No-Build Alternative
because its implementation is expected to precede that of the I-20 East
HRT Extension by several years. NEPA requires the consideration of a No
Build Alternative as a means of comparing and evaluating the impacts
and benefits of the Build Alternative.
2. Build Alternative: The Build Alternative to be evaluated in the
EIS is the extension of the existing MARTA east-west HRT line from the
Indian Creek Station, south parallel to I-285, then east parallel to I-
20 to the Mall at Stonecrest in eastern DeKalb County. The HRT service
would include new stations at Covington Highway, Wesley Chapel Road,
Panola Road, Lithonia Industrial Blvd., and the Mall at Stonecrest. It
is expected that the HRT service would be implemented in two phases.
The first phase would extend the existing MARTA east-west HRT line from
Indian Creek Station to Wesley Chapel Road. The second phase would
extend from Wesley Chapel Road to the Mall at Stonecrest. The HRT
alignment would generally be located adjacent to the interstate and
would utilize Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) right-of-way
wherever possible.
The scope of the environmental analysis and procedures shared in
the NOI published August 28, 2012 and at
[[Page 67544]]
the Public Scoping Meetings in September of 2012 remain unchanged.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region IV.
[FR Doc. 2014-26769 Filed 11-12-14; 8:45 am]
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