[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 6, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 16778-16780] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-8478] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Transit Administration Environmental Impact Statement on the I-71 Light Rail Transit Project in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT. ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (the Federal lead agency) and the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Cincinnati region (the local lead agency), intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the I-71 Light Rail Transit Project. In March of 1998, OKI completed a Major Investment Study (MIS) which studied four alternatives for the I-71 Corridor: Light Rail Transit, No-Build, Transportation Systems Management (TSM), Busway and High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes. The OKI selected the Light Rail Transit as the Locally Preferred Strategy. The EIS is being prepared in conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and will also satisfy the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). The EIS will evaluate the following transportation alternatives: a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation Systems Management (TSM) Alternative, and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Alternative. Key stakeholders include the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), Hamilton County, Kenton County, and the cities of Cincinnati, Covington, Blue Ash, and Montgomery. DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives and impacts to be considered must be postmarked by June 15, 1999. Scoping Meetings: Public Scoping Meetings will be held on: May 10th-- Monday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Evanston Recreation Center, 3204 Wooburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH; May 11th--Tuesday 11 [[Page 16779]] a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Christ Church Undercroft, 318 East Fourth Street, Cincinnati, OH; May 12th--Wednesday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Blue Ash City Council Chambers, 4343 Cooper Road, Blue Ash, OH; and on May 18th--Tuesday 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the City of Covington, City Commission Chambers, 638 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Mr. Warner Moore, Project Manager, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, 801-B West Eighth Street, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45203-1607. SCOPING PROCESS: The purposes of the Public Scoping Meetings are to: Provide interested individuals with an introduction to and an overview of the EIS process, and provide the opportunity for comments on the alternatives being considered and significant issues or impacts to be addressed in the EIS. Four Public Scoping Meetings will be held in the study area. Comments may be submitted orally at any of the Scoping Meetings or in writing during the Scoping comment period for the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) which ends on June 15, 1999. The Scoping Meetings will begin at 11 a.m. for the lunch-time meeting in the downtown Cincinnati and at 5 p.m. for evening meetings. Each meeting will include an open house where attendees will be able to view graphics and discuss the project with project representatives. A presentation on the project will be given at 12 p.m. for lunch-time meeting and at 6 p.m. for the evening meetings, followed by an additional opportunity for questions and answers during both the lunch-time and evening meetings. Scoping material will be available at the meeting or in advance of the meeting by contacting Mr. Jeff Walker, Planner II, at (513) 621-6300 or the TDD number at (513) 621-7063. A sign language interpreter will be available for the hearing impaired. The buildings are accessible to people with disabilities and are open to all members of the community. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Paul Fish, Federal Transit Administration, Region V, (312) 353- 2865. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Scoping The FTA and OKI invite interested individuals, organizations, and federal, state and local agencies to participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS; identifying any significant social, economic, or environmental impacts to be evaluated; and suggesting alternatives that are less costly or have less environmental impacts while achieving similar transportation objectives. An information packet, referred to as the Scoping Booklet, will be circulated to all federal, state or local agencies having jurisdiction in the project, and all interested parties currently on the OKI mailing list. Others may request this Scoping Booklet by contacting Mr. Jeff Walker, Planner II, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, 801-B West Eighth Street, Suite 400, Cincinnati, OH 45203- 1607, or by phone at (513) 621-6300 or TDD at (513) 621-7063. During Scoping, comments should focus on identifying the range of alternatives that should be considered and not stating a preference for a particular alternative. Scoping comments may be made at the Public Scoping Meeting or in writing within 45 days after publication of this notice. See the DATES section above for the locations and times of the Scoping Meetings and the ADDRESSES section above for the contact person for sending in written comments. II. Description of the Study Area and Project The study area is a north-south corridor which is approximately 18 miles long and generally parallels Interstate-71 (I-71). The LRT Alternative would extend from the south side of downtown Covington, Kentucky, through the downtown area of Covington, across the Ohio River into downtown Cincinnati, through a tunnel under Mount Auburn, through the Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati area, north to the City of Norwood where it will meet the SORTA right-of-way (on which the Indiana-Ohio Railroad previously owned and currently operates), and north to serve Silverton, Kenwood, Deer Park, Montgomery and Blue Ash. A yard and shop facility will be located somewhere along the length of the alignment. Double-track light rail transit construction is being studied with in-street running in downtown areas and ballast tracks within the exclusive railroad right-of-way north of Cincinnati. The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge corridor will be examined during the Scoping Process to determine its potential for the Ohio River crossing. The study includes a proposal for approximately 20 stations to be designed for pedestrians as well as both bus and park-and-ride access. The LRT project is intended to provide fixed rail service between key activity centers in Cincinnati and Covington, including both cities' downtown districts, the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, the Aranoff Theatre District, the Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, the Cincinnati Bengal's Paul Brown Stadium, the new Cincinnati Reds Baseball Stadium, the Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Convention Center. Key employers along the proposed alignment include the IRS Regional Center, Procter & Gamble World Headquarters, Proctor & Gamble Sharon Woods Technical Center, Chiquita Brands International, Cinergy Corporation/Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company, the Kroger Company, the American Financial Group, Inc., Cincinnati Bell, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Hamilton County, Kenton County, and the Cities of Covington and Cincinnati Administrative Offices and City/County Court systems. The I-71 Corridor has been and continues to be an area of significant growth for the region. Traffic congestion on many of the corridor's roadways is currently at unacceptable levels and is expected to worsen with the projected employment and population growth. Low- income, transit-dependent populations are increasing in the region, along with the need for improved access to jobs. Both riverfront areas of Covington and Cincinnati are experiencing tremendous public and private sector investment in the economic development and revitalization of the central cities. These redevelopment efforts, which will focus employment, entertainment, recreation and tourism on the riverfront area, will place a greater demand on existing roadways and transit service. In response to this need, OKI conducted an MIS for the I-71 corridor. The results of the MIS study included the selection of a locally preferred strategy of a light rail transit system with downtown and suburban stops along the alignment, including stations, park-and- ride lots and transit centers. Transit improvements are intended to alleviate traffic congestion in the I-71 corridor by offering an alternative to single-occupancy vehicle travel, and assisting in the achievement of regional air quality goals. III. Alternatives The transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in this I-71 Light Rail Transit Project Draft EIS include: (1) No-Build Alternative, which involves no change to transportation services or facilities in the corridor beyond already committed projects; (2) Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative which [[Page 16780]] consists of low to medium cost improvements to the facilities and operation of the METRO and TANK bus systems in addition to the currently planned transit improvements in the corridor; and (3) Light Rail Alternative, including stations and support facilities, generally located parallel to the I-71 corridor and on surface streets in downtown Covington and Cincinnati combined with a modified bus service component. Stations would be located to serve potentially significant trip generators and in areas where economic development efforts are planned or underway in order to maximize potential joint development opportunities. IV. Probable Effects The FTA and OKI will evaluate significant environmental, social, and economic impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Primary environmental issues include: land-use, historic and archeological resources, traffic and parking, noise and vibration, neighborhoods and environmental justice, floodplain encroachment, coordination with ongoing related transportation and economic development projects, and construction impacts. Other issues the EIS will address include natural areas, rare and endangered species, air and water quality, groundwater, energy, potentially contaminated sites, displacements and relocations, ecosystems, water resources, hazardous waste, parklands, and energy impacts. The impacts will be evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period of operation of each alternative. In addition, the cumulative effects of the proposed project and any irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources will be identified. Measures to avoid or mitigate any significant adverse impacts will be developed. V. FTA Procedures In accordance with the federal transportation planning regulations (23 CFR part 450) and the federal environmental impact regulations and related procedures (23 CFR part 771), the DEIS will be prepared to include an evaluation of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. The LRT Alternative was chosen as the Locally Preferred Strategy of the Major Investment Study completed in March of 1998. The project is included in the OKI Metropolitan Area Transportation Plan and conforming Transportation Improvement Program. The EIS and the Preliminary Engineering (PE) for the I-71 LRT PE/EIS will be prepared simultaneously and documented in the DEIS. The Final EIS will consider the public and agency comments received during the public and agency circulation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and OKI will select the Preferred Alternative. Then OKI, with FTA as lead agency, will continue with the preparation of the Final EIS. Opportunity for additional public comment will be provided throughout all phases of project development. Issued on: April 1, 1999. Joel P. Ettinger, Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration. [FR Doc. 99-8478 Filed 4-5-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-57-P