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Environmental Impact Statement on Transportation Improvements Within the North Corridor in Metropolitan Columbus, Ohio
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: July 1, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 126)]
[Notices]
[Page 39182-39185]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01jy03-118]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement on Transportation Improvements
Within the North Corridor in Metropolitan Columbus, Ohio
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Central Ohio
Transit Authority (COTA) are issuing this notice to advise interested
agencies and the public that, in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) is being prepared for the proposed
transportation improvements in the North Corridor and adjacent areas in
the City of Columbus and Franklin, and Delaware Counties, within the
metropolitan area of Columbus, Ohio.
The EIS will evaluate the following alternatives: a no-build
alternative; a transportation system management (TSM) alternative;
build alternatives consisting of light rail transit in one of several
alignment options combined
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with increased bus service in the North Corridor, and any additional
reasonable alternatives that emerge from the scoping process. Scoping
will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with
interested persons, organizations, the general public, and federal,
state and local agencies.
The EIS will address the need to improve mobility and reverse-
commute access in the corridor, reduce adverse environmental impacts in
the region, provide long-term, cost-effective transportation
infrastructure and services, and enhance regional economic development.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the alternatives and
impacts to be considered should be sent to Mr. Michael L. Bradley,
Director of Rail Development, Central Ohio Transit Authority, 1650 Lake
Shore Drive, Suite 300, Columbus, Ohio 43204 by August 15, 2003.
Scoping Meetings: Three public scoping meetings and one interagency
scoping meeting will be held. The public scoping meetings will be held
on July 22 and 23, 2003. The interagency scoping meeting will be held
on July 24, 2003. See ADDRESSES below for the specific time and place
of each meeting.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the analysis and the
impacts to be considered should be sent by August 15, 2003 to: Mr.
Michael L. Bradley, Director of Rail Development, Central Ohio Transit
Authority, 1650 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 300, Columbus, OH 43204.
Public Scoping meetings will be held at the following locations:
Tuesday, July 22, 2003 at Rhodes Office Tower, Lobby Hearing Room, 30
East Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio from 8 to 10 a.m. COTA will give a
presentation on the proposed action at 8:30 a.m.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003 at St. Stephen's Community House, 1500 17th
Avenue, Columbus, Ohio from 6 to 8 p.m. COTA will give a presentation
on the proposed action at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 at North Broadway United Methodist Church,
48 East North Broadway, Columbus, Ohio from 6 to 8 pm. COTA will give a
presentation on the proposed action at 6:30 pm.
The appropriate federal, state, and local agency offices will be
notified individually about the time and location of the interagency
scoping meeting.
The locations of the scoping meetings are accessible to persons
with disabilities. Any individual with a disability who requires
special assistance to participate in the scoping meetings should
contact Mr. Michael L. Bradley, Director of Rail Development, Central
Ohio Transit Authority, 1650 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 300, Columbus,
Ohio 43204 or should call the project information line at (866)
``RAILCOTA or COTA TDD at (614) 228-1832 available weekdays 8:30 a.m.--
5:30 p.m.), or should send an e-mail to info@cotafasttrax.com by July
14, 2003 in order for COTA to make necessary arrangements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Vanessa Adams, Senior Community
Planner, Federal Transit Administration, 200 West Adams Street, Suite
320, Chicago, Illinois 60606-5232; phone: (312) 353-2789.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
the federal lead agency, in cooperation with the Central Ohio Transit
Authority (COTA), the local lead agency, is preparing an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed transportation improvements in the
North Corridor and adjacent areas. The lead agencies will also seek the
cooperation of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Mid-
Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the metropolitan planning
organization (MPO) responsible for transportation planning in
metropolitan Columbus.
The transportation improvements have been defined through a Major
Investment Study (MIS) conducted in 1995 and updated in 2001, which
included extensive public outreach and interagency involvement. The MIS
is available for public review at the COTA office by contacting Mr.
Michael Bradley as described under ADDRESSES above. In accordance with
the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the scoping process will be used to
determine the alternatives to be considered in detail in the EIS and
the impacts of those alternatives to be evaluated. The results of the
MIS will not be re-visited unless significant costs or impacts not
fully evaluated in the MIS are identified during scoping. FTA and COTA
also expect the scoping process to identify alternative design concepts
for evaluation. Alternative alignments and designs that meet the
project purpose and need as reflected in the regional transportation
plan will be addressed in the EIS.
I. Scoping
FTA and COTA invite interested individuals, organizations, and
federal, state, and local agencies to participate in defining the
alternatives to be evaluated and identifying any significant social,
economic and environmental issues related to the alternatives. Comments
on the appropriateness of the alternatives and impact-related issues
are encouraged. Specific suggestions on additional alternatives to be
examined and issues to be addressed are welcomed and will be considered
in establishing the final study scope. Comments may be made orally at
the meetings or in writing no later than August 15, 2003.
COTA staff will be present at the scoping meetings to describe
corridor alternatives, answer questions, and receive comments.
Additional opportunities for public participation will be provided
throughout the EIS preparation to review findings and results and to
solicit comments. Interested persons will be notified of project
progress through a continuing community information program and
materials distributed to the project mailing list that will include all
scoping participants.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The study area for the North Corridor Light Rail Transit project
(NCLRT) is located within the metropolitan area of Columbus, Ohio in
the City of Columbus and Franklin and Delaware Counties. The transit
alternative extends approximately 13 miles between the Franklin/
Delaware County line in the Polaris area and downtown Columbus and
centered on a path generally parallel to Interstate-71. The northern
terminus of the transit study area is the intersection of Flint Road
and Lazelle Road at the Franklin and Delaware county line and the
southern terminus is the intersection of High Street and Fulton Street
in downtown Columbus. The study area is generally bounded on the west
by the Olentangy River and State Route 315 and on the east by State
Route 3 (Cleveland Avenue/Westerville Road). Because one of the transit
alternatives includes the shared use of the CSX Transportation (CSXT)
and Norfolk Southern (NS) railroad right-of-way, the study will also
evaluate impacts on the regional freight railroad network in Central
Ohio.
Most of the corridor is within the urban setting of the City of
Columbus, but it also includes the suburban communities of Minerva
Park, Riverlea and portions of the cities of Worthington and
Westerville. Several major activity centers are located within the
corridor and at the northern and southern termini, including cultural
sites, entertainment districts, hospitals,
[[Page 39184]]
sport stadiums, universities, fairgrounds, a convention center and a
regional mall. The remainder of the corridor is primarily residential.
Polaris, Crosswoods, Worthington, Easton, and the Short North are mixed
use areas with an emphasis on retail and restaurants. The Ohio State
House, the Arena District, Theater District, City Center, Science
Center and redeveloping Brewery District are major traffic generators
in the downtown area. The corridor has two large hospitals, Grant
Hospital and the Ohio State University Hospital, serving more than
50,000 patients each year. Three colleges and universities (Ohio State
University, Columbus State Community College, and Franklin University)
are within the corridor. Four major sports stadiums are also in the
corridor, including Ohio Stadium (where Ohio State University plays
football), Schottenstein Center for basketball, Columbus Crew Soccer
Stadium and Nationwide Arena. Other attractions include the Ohio State
Fairgrounds, the Columbus Convention Center, and the Veterans Memorial
Hall.
Approximately 233,000 people live in the study area and the
population is expected to increase to more than 248,000 by year 2025.
The North Corridor has approximately 235,000 jobs, which is one-third
of the region's total employment. The number of jobs is expected to
increase in the study area to 278,000 by 2025. Due to the population
and employment within the North Corridor, COTA's busiest bus route is
within the study area, serving approximately 13,000 riders per day in
the Ohio State University area. The North Corridor is considered the
most congested area in the Columbus metropolitan area.
COTA and MORPC have been working together to address the
transportation problems and needs in the Columbus metropolitan area. In
1993, COTA and MORPC completed an update of the long range plan for
public transportation in the region, which recommended a series of
transit system improvements, including the development of eight fixed
guideway transit lines using existing freight rail corridors. As a
result of the Long Range System Plan Analysis, the 13-mile North
Corridor, extending between the Polaris area and Downtown Columbus
generally along Interstate-71, was identified as the priority corridor
for fixed guideway transit improvements.
COTA and MORPC conducted a Major Investment Study (MIS) for the
North Corridor between 1993 and 1995, with the recommendation to expand
bus service as the locally preferred alternative. Following the
completion of Vision 2020, a long-range transit plan for central Ohio,
in 2001 COTA and MORPC updated the 1995 North Corridor MIS. The MIS
update concluded with the selection of a locally preferred alternative
comprised of light rail transit and substantial improvements to bus
service in the corridor between the Polaris area and Downtown Columbus.
III. Alternatives
The scoping meetings, other community meetings and written comments
will be a major source of alternatives for consideration in the EIS.
Transportation alternatives proposed for consideration in the North
Corridor include:
1.A No-Action Alternative, which is the continuation of existing
bus service policies in the study area. Under the No-Action
Alternative, increases in service to the year 2025 would track with
increases in demand due to population or employment growth in the area,
in accordance with current service policies.
2. A Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative, which
focuses on operational and low to medium cost capital improvements to
bus transit routes and service in the project area, and attempts to
serve the project purpose and need as much as possible without the
construction of a new fixed guideway.
3. Build Alternatives comprised of Light Rail Transit (LRT)
combined with enhanced bus service. The LRT route extends about 13
miles from the Polaris area to the Columbus Central Business District.
From Polaris to about 17th Street, the light rail line is proposed to
be located in railroad right-of-way (ROW) parallel to the CSXT Columbus
line and NS Sandusky-Columbus rail lines. Street running operations are
proposed for the light rail line from the vicinity of 17th Street to
Fulton Street in the Downtown. The proposed street running alignments
south of 17th Street would be along Summit and/or Fourth Streets with a
transition to High Street at Interstate 670. An alternative alignment
with street running operations along High Street between approximately
17th Street and Interstate 670 that would more directly serve the Ohio
State University campus may also be considered.
Two options are under consideration for the portion of the project
that is located in the rail ROW between Polaris and about 17th Street:
Under one of the options for the railroad right-of-way, COTA may
construct a new freight railroad intermodal facility in Delaware or
Union County in the central Ohio area.
Fourteen potential transit stations would be located to serve
potential trip generators and in areas where economic development
activities are planned or underway. The locations of stations and
resulting impacts will be an important area of consideration during the
study.
Based on public and agency input received during scoping,
variations of the above alternatives and other transportation-related
improvement options, both transit and non-transit, may be considered
for the North Corridor.
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
The FTA and COTA will evaluate all social, economic and
environmental impacts of the alternatives analyzed in the EIS. Impacts
may include: Land use, zoning, and economic development; secondary
development; cumulative land use impacts; land acquisition,
displacements, and relocation of existing uses; historic and
archaeological resources; parklands and recreation areas; neighborhoods
and communities; environmental justice; air quality; noise and
vibration; hazardous materials; ecosystems; water resources;
construction impacts; safety and security; utilities; finance; and
transportation. Other potential impact issues may be added as a result
of scoping and interagency coordination efforts. The proposed impact
assessment and evaluation will take into account both positive and
negative effects, direct and indirect impacts, short-term
(construction) and long-term operational impacts, and cumulative
effects. Measures to avoid or mitigate any significant adverse impacts
will be developed.
V. FTA Procedures
In accordance with FTA policy, all federal laws, regulations and
executive orders affecting project development, including but not
limited to the regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality and
FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and 23 CFR part 771), the
Clean Air Act, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, Executive Orders
11988, 11990 and 12898 regarding floodplains, wetlands, and
environmental justice, respectively, the National Historic Preservation
Act, the Endangered Species Act, and section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act, will be addressed to the maximum extent practicable
during the NEPA process.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be circulated
to
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solicit public and agency comments on the proposed action. Public
hearings will be held on the DEIS. Based on the comments received on
the DEIS, COTA will take appropriate project actions and prepare the
Final EIS, which will identify the preferred alternative. Opportunity
for additional public comment will be provided throughout all phases of
project development.
Issued on: June 23, 2003.
Joel P. Ettinger,
Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-16555 Filed 6-30-03; 8:45 am]
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