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Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the North/Southeast Corridor Project in Jacksonville, Duval County and St. Johns County, Florida

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: March 15, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 51)]
[Notices]
[Page 15163-15165]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15mr01-121]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the
North/Southeast Corridor Project in Jacksonville, Duval County and St.
Johns County, Florida

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an alternatives analysis/draft
environmental impact statement (AA/DEIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Jacksonville
Transportation Authority (JTA), and the Florida Department of
Transportation (FDOT) intend to prepare an Alternatives Analysis/Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, to
evaluate transportation improvements within a corridor known as the
North/Southeast Corridor in Duval and St. Johns County, Florida, within
the metropolitan area of Jacksonville, Florida. The lead agencies will
also seek the cooperation of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) in conducting this review. The AA/DEIS will
examine strategies to improve mobility and access in the corridor from
Jacksonville International Airport through downtown Jacksonville and
continuing south to County Road 210. The AA/DEIS will develop
alternatives for the corridor which will (1) preserve and enhance
mobility within the corridor; (2) support economic development
opportunities planned within the corridor; (3) minimize adverse
transportation related impacts to the environment; (4) improve the
efficiency of existing facilities; (5) provide cost effective
transportation improvements; and (6) identify and encourage land use
development policies that promote more efficient use of infrastructure.
The AA/DEIS will evaluate a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation
Systems Management/Traffic Demand Management Alternative (TSM/TDM),
several Build Alternatives, and any additional alternatives generated
by the scoping process. The TSM/TDM Alternative will include enhanced
bus service and facilities and technology and programs to increase the
effectiveness of the existing transportation infrastructure to meet the
transportation needs of the North/Southeast Corridor. The Build
Alternatives will consider Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail
Transit (LRT), Commuter Rail, Streets and Highways, and combinations of
these modes, as well as other reasonable alternatives suggested through
the scoping process. The type, location, and need for ancillary
facilities, such as maintenance facilities, will also be considered for
each alternative. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and
correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general
public, and Federal, State, regional, and local agencies.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be submitted to Mr.
Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit Project Manager, Jacksonville
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, FL 32203
by April 30, 2001.
    Scoping Meetings: Public scoping meetings for the North/Southeast
Corridor Project AA/DEIS will be held on:

Wednesday, March 28, 2001, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 5188 Norwood Avenue,
Gateway Mall, Room 15, Jacksonville, Florida 32206
Monday April 2, 2001, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Southeast Regional Library,
10599 Deerwood Park Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida 32256

    In advance of either scoping meeting, persons with special needs
should contact Ms. Winova Hart, Project Coordinator, Jacksonville
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida,
32203. Telephone: (904) 630-3181. Scoping materials will be available
at the meetings and may also be obtained in advance of the meetings by
contacting Mr. Edward Castellani at the address below or calling
project staff at (904) 630-3181. Oral and written comments may be given
at the scoping meetings. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list
to receive further information as the project develops, contact Mr.
Edward Castellani at the address below or call the project staff at
(904) 630-3181.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to Mr.
Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit Project Manager, Jacksonville
Transportation Authority, Post Office Drawer O, Jacksonville, FL 32203.
Scoping meetings will be held at the locations identified above in the
DATES section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Edward Castellani, Rapid Transit
Project Manager, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Post Office
Drawer O, Jacksonville, Florida, 32203. Telephone: (904) 630-3181. You
may also contact Mr. Derek Scott, Community Planner, Federal Transit
Administration, Region IV, 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 17T50, Atlanta,
Georgia 30303. Telephone: (404) 562-3500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA, JTA, and FDOT invite all interested individuals and
organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local agencies to
participate in defining the alternatives to be evaluated and
identifying social, economic, or environmental issues related to the
alternatives. Comments on the appropriateness of the alternatives and
impact issues are encouraged. Specific suggestions on additional
alternatives to be examined and issues

[[Page 15164]]

to be addressed will be considered in the development of the final
study scope. Comments should focus on the issues and alternatives for
analysis and not on a preference for a particular alternative. Scoping
material will be available at the meetings or in advance of the
meetings by contacting Mr. Edward Castellani at JTA or by calling the
project staff, as indicated above.
    The North/Southeast Corridor Project AA/DEIS follows the completion
of a Transportation Alternatives Study (TAS). The TAS study, completed
in June 2000, evaluated regional travel corridors and recommended the
sequencing of four corridors to be carried forward into more detailed
analysis, of which the undertaking of this AA/DEIS is a part. These
four corridors include two radial corridors, the North/Southeast and
the East/Southwest, and two crosstown corridors, Westside Crosstown and
Beaches Crosstown, in that order of priority.
    Following the public scoping process, public participation
activities will include community meetings and workshops, public
hearing(s) on the AA/DEIS, newsletters, and other outreach methods.
    Additional background information on the project, the AA/DEIS
process, alternatives, and impact issues to be addressed by the AA/DEIS
is contained in a document entitled ``Scoping Information Booklet.''
Copies of the document will be distributed to affected federal, state,
regional, and local agencies. The document will also be available at
the Scoping Meetings. Others may request the document from Mr. Edward
Castellani at the address above.

II. Description of the Study Area and Transportation Needs

    The North/Southeast Corridor is an approximate 30-mile radial
corridor connecting downtown Jacksonville with the Jacksonville
International Airport, Moncrief, Arlington, Southpoint, and Mandarin
areas in Duval and St. Johns County. The corridor encompasses
geographic areas with the highest number of trips to downtown
Jacksonville. The corridor also connects the two largest employment
centers with key residential areas via downtown Jacksonville, projected
to remain a primary travel shed for the region into the year 2020. The
study area also includes the vicinity of ancillary facilities, such as
maintenance facilities, associated with each alternative. This study
area is generalized and considered flexible, subject both to the
outcome of the scoping process and the locations of alternatives
studied in detail.
    In response to the study area transportation needs, the JTA and
FDOT, in cooperation with the First Coast Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO), conducted a Transportation Alternatives Study (TAS)
for the Jacksonville metropolitan area (Transportation Alternatives
Study Corridors Evaluation Report, June 19, 2000). The TAS study area
included all of Duval County and portions of northern Clay County and
St. Johns County to the south.
    The TAS evaluated regional travel corridors and recommended
sequencing of corridors to be carried forward into more detailed
analysis. A significant public involvement program was implemented
during the preparation of the TAS, including numerous stakeholder
interviews, public meetings and community workshops. The resulting
recommended corridors and sequence for analysis included two radial
corridors (the North/Southeast and the East/Southwest) and two
crosstown corridors (Westside and Beaches). The two radial corridors
focus on travel to and through downtown Jacksonville.
    The TAS findings resulted in the first sequenced corridor, the
North/Southeast corridor, advancing into the AA/DEIS phase. During the
course of the AA/DEIS, a more thorough identification of corridor
facilities will be performed and potential social, economic and
environmental impacts will be evaluated. Additionally, corridor
transportation needs will be further analyzed, alternative
transportation solutions will be identified and evaluated, and
decisions will be made on a proposed locally preferred alternative
(LPA).

III. Alternatives

    The alternatives proposed for consideration include: (1) The No-
Build Alternative, which involves no change to the transportation
infrastructure of roads and transit service in the corridor beyond
already committed projects; (2) the Transportation System Management/
Traffic Demand Management (TSM/TDM) Alternative, which includes all
elements of the No-Build Alternative and enhanced bus service and other
technology and programs to increase the effectiveness of the existing
transportation infrastructure in the corridor. The TSM/TDM Alternative
is a low cost alternative that uses existing facilities to the greatest
extent possible to meet the identified transportation needs in the
study corridor. The TSM/TDM Alternative also provides the baseline
against which the cost-effectiveness of capital investments in other
alternatives can be evaluated; and (3) the Build Alternatives of
Busway/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Commuter
Rail, Street and Highway, and combinations of the Build Alternatives. A
range of specific alignments will be considered. Additional reasonable
Build Alternatives suggested during the scoping process, including
those involving other modes, may be considered.
    After identification and screening of an initial set of
alternatives, a set of promising conceptual alternatives will be
identified and will undergo a screening process to reduce them to a set
of refined alternatives. Evaluation criteria will include consideration
of the local goals and objectives established for the analysis,
measures of effectiveness identified during the ongoing scoping
process, and criteria established by FTA. A more detailed evaluation of
refined alternatives will then be undertaken during the preparation of
the AA/DEIS.

IV. Potential Impacts for Analysis

    FTA, JTA, and FDOT will evaluate all social, economic and
environmental impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the AA/DEIS.
Impacts include land use, zoning, and economic development; secondary
development; cumulative impacts; land acquisition, displacements, and
relocation of existing uses; historic, archaeological, and cultural
resources; parklands and recreation areas; visual and aesthetic
qualities; neighborhoods and communities; environmental justice; air
quality; noise and vibration; hazardous materials; ecosystems; water
resources; energy; construction impacts; safety and security;
utilities; finance; and transportation impacts. The impacts will be
evaluated both for the construction period and for the long-term period
of operation of each alternative. Measures to mitigate adverse impacts
will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

    An AA/DEIS will be prepared to document the evaluation of the
social, economic, and environmental impacts of the alternatives. Upon
completion, the AA/DEIS will be available for public and agency review
and comment. Public hearing(s) on the AA/DEIS will be held within the
study area. On the basis of the AA/DEIS and the public and agency
comments received, a locally preferred alternative will be selected and
described in full detail in the Final EIS.

[[Page 15165]]

    Issued on March 9, 2001.
Tom Thomson,
Acting Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 01-6371 Filed 3-14-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P

 
 

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